Qatar Airways Cargo flew 100 tonnes of medication from the Indian city of Mumbai to Brasilia (Brazil) on a charter flight for its customer – Hermes Travel and Cargo.
The pallets were loaded on a Boeing 777 Freighter in Mumbai, and the life-saving Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medications were dispatched to support Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s response to the HIV epidemic.
The government of Brazil initiated the implementation of PrEP to prevent new cases of HIV among key higher-risk population groups through 35 sites across the country, with 54,000 people being offered PrEP within the next five years.
Qatar Airways chief officer cargo, Guillaume Halleux said since the launch of the carrier’s QR Pharma product, it has been working closely with our customers to enhance the product for the benefit of the final consumer.
Hermes Travel & Cargo Private Limited joint managing director, Rohan M. Thakka said the client was M/s Cipla.
He added: “The Boeing 777 charter freighter that was deployed on the Mumbai-Brasilia route to move such a huge volume of pharmaceuticals saw seamless, timely and very well co-ordinated deliverables from Qatar Airways Cargo, which paves the way for a growing cooperation with the carrier in the near future.”
The cargo carrier has seen rapid growth in the air freight of pharmaceuticals globally, with a 44 per cent increase in tonnage in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.
