LuxairCARGO, one of the four business units in the LuxairGroup, owns and operates the cargo centre at Luxembourg Airport with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons of freight. Temperature-controlled goods were already a key topic when this centre was being planned. When the new cargo centre was taken into operation in 1996, it soon became clear that this type of freight offered enormous growth potential. During the following years, capacity in the temperature-controlled warehouse facilities was expanded and efficient procedures were applied.

During the crisis-hit years of 2008 to 2012, it became increasingly clear that the flow of goods in most sectors started to slow down, however, healthcare and pharmaceuticals showed constant growth with increasing demand.

As customers requested to participate in the sustained growth of this industry, LuxairCARGO set the wheels in motion for expansion in 2009. At the same time, it could be seen that capacity in the actual temperature-controlled freight processing area in the cargo centre would reach its limits over the medium term if the industry continued to grow. It soon became clear that LuxairCARGO would have to take a major step forward considering the requirements of the new Guidelines of the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) which should become applicable by 2013.

In July 2012, the LuxairGroup’s management decided to set up a dedicated area within the cargo centre’s existing warehouse to become a temperature-controlled Pharma & Healthcare Centre with a total of 3,000m2 of warehouse space. Work started in October 2012 and the conversion work was finished on schedule in March 2013.

Crisis as an opportunity
LuxairCARGO is the only freight handler at Luxembourg Airport, with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tons of freight and a total infrastructure of 293,000m2. In 2011 the turnover was of 677,000 tons of freight.
As a long-standing specialist for temperature-controlled goods, it was possible to expand this sector with a minimum of input, by using and reassigning the existing infrastructure. It took less than one year from the start of planning to take the new Pharma & Healthcare Centre into operation. This investment in a market with double-digit growth rates is a secure step into a continued customer-oriented future.

Despite the economic crisis, Luxembourg is currently the seventh largest freight airport in Europe. The cargo centre’s direct proximity to the apron and aircraft and the seamless connection to the European motorway network make shortest transit times possible. And low flight density on top guarantees the greatest possible flexibility. In a business field where time means money, this ideal setup has ever been a key argument since the cargo centre was opened. As this applies in particular for temperature-controlled goods, Luxembourg is a location which is pre-destined to play a leading role in Europe.

The needs of the pharmaceutical industry are bindingly kept at a very high level as a result of internationally defined, high security standards. If you want to enter this business as a service provider, you have to be able to offer absolute transparency, security and control. The complete handling at Findel Airport is in the hands of LuxairCARGO, therefore, all conditions are set to offer customers a totally transparent, safe and monitored flow of goods at any time. This “low to no risk” business stands on the physical proximity of the warehouse, aircraft and road transport.

The pharmaceutical industry’s understandable fear for loss of control of high-value freight is totally unfounded in Luxembourg thanks to additional security measures. Restricted access to the facilities, TAPA-A and GDP certifications are chartered guarantees for reliable freight processing.

State-of-the-art technology
State-of-the-art monitoring methods in the cargo centre mean not only that LuxairCARGO, but also its customers, can access the requested data at any time. Historical data is recorded end-to-end, every step can be verified by both service providers and customers.

Highly specialised and trained staff specifically in line with the latest GDP standards process the goods. TAPA-A certification, as well as a restricted access to warehouse, only accessible to employees with individualised security cards, meet the highest security requirements.

Four different temperature-controlled storage zones (see fact sheet) offer the latitude required for highly specific customer requests and provide solutions for the most demanding goods - be this a small consignment or a complete aircraft ULD or pallet.

Extremely short transit times from the processing ramp to the road transport, and vice versa, guarantee absolutely temperature-controlled and 100%-controlled forwarding processes as the apron is directly located in front of the new Pharma & Healthcare Centre’s loading points. Temperature-sensitive pallets are called up and loaded immediately out of the temperature controlled cells.

Seventy ULD positions are available in the integrated Schenck freight storage system in the cargo centre to store finished units at controlled temperatures.

A commitment to our customers and the future
TAPA-A certification and dedication to quality mean that LuxairCARGO offers an efficient, fast and secure freight processing service that ranks among the very best. As a responsible service provider, LuxairCARGO constantly invests in ever more efficient workflows, securing the goods and the flow thereof.

As a long-standing business partner for specialized customers, LuxairCARGO has in-depth knowledge of processing oversized loads, temperature-controlled goods and hazardous substances.

LuxairCARGO has been in business for 40 years and is a particularly dynamic factor at one of Europe’s leading freight airports. It offers not only the highly-specialised Pharma & Healthcare Centre, but also a state-of-the-art animal station, storage for artworks, valuable and hazardous goods, as well as an integrated and neutral road feeder service.

The fastest transit times, the greatest flexibility, the highest security requirements and the utmost in reliability mean that LuxairCARGO is one of the industry’s most customer-oriented service providers.

The company consults constantly with customers and participates in specialist international symposiums, allowing LuxairCARGO’s management to anticipate future developments and implement new features in line with customers’ needs.
LuxairCARGO will also work on expanding its position in the future and will make flexible investments in state-of-the-art technology and even better use of the existing infrastructure in order to be able to meet the market’s up-to-date requirements in plenty of time.