Cargolux operates high-quality scheduled and chartered air freight services across the globe for its freight forwarding customers. It relies on a solid network of trucking contractors to move valuable and time-sensitive commodities across its network, covering more than 90 destinations.
In 1970, Cargolux Airlines International began operations from its newly established home base at Luxembourg airport, with a handful of Canadair CL-44 freighters. 45 years later, Cargolux is Europe’s biggest all-cargo airline, with a fleet of modern 747 freighters. Cargolux was the launch customer and first operator of the 747-400F, in 1993, and the 747-8F, in 2011.
The Cargolux Group employs 1,900 people worldwide, with over 1,300 at its headquarters. Cargolux Italia is a sister company based at Milan’s Malpensa Airport, while a joint-venture airline with Chinese shareholder HNCA and other Chinese interests is to be set up at Cargolux’s complementary hub, Zhengzhou.
Reputable carrier
Cargolux has established a global reputation as a supplier of high-class air cargo services with a team of dedicated experts, and one of the most modern and efficient fleets in the industry. Cargolux not only offers a range of services within its core activity, but also provides specialised services to the rest of the industry.
Cargolux has a long history of transporting perishables such as fruit, flowers and meat, as well as pharmaceutical products. The latter has proven to be one of its most successful endeavors, benefitting from the experience of an established team with deep knowledge and the drive to offer the best possible solution for every customer’s requirement. Cargolux recognises that transporting healthcare products is an important responsibility, and therefore discusses the individual needs of an end-to-end temperature-controlled process with customers before each shipment takes place, in order to develop tailored solutions.
"Moving healthcare equipment does not simply mean flying it from airport to airport, but also ensuring our process is constantly optimised and adapting to the shipper’s needs," adds Stavros Evangelakakis, head of global healthcare at Cargolux. "It’s also important that we are transparent about what can or cannot be done. Our internal supply chain begins at booking level and goes all the way to the crew, which has to set the TEM range during flight."
The Cargolux team draws on the knowledge of its cold-chain experts, and relies on modern equipment, from specialised cooling containers to aircraft, to ensure the safe and expedient movement of these high-value shipments across the globe. For Cargolux, temperature excursions are not an option.
Certified success
These efforts are reflected in the fact that Cargolux became the world’s first GDP-certified airline in 2014, demonstrating the pioneering spirit and passion for its industry that has distinguished it since its inception. Its home at Luxembourg Airport is the world’s first GDP-certified airfreight hub.
The GDP certification, which has only recently been renewed, attests that the company’s management system fulfils the requirements of the EU directive ‘Guidelines on Good Distribution Practice of Medicinal Products for Human Use’ and WHO guidelines. It not only confirms Cargolux’s compliance with requirements, but also the airline’s dedication to operating a consistent quality-management system across the transportation process.
The certification also plays a key role in assuring the quality and integrity of the transportation and distribution of medicinal products for human use.
"GDP certification ensures compliance with best distribution practice and quality in all related logistics services, especially in this highly regulated sector," says Franco Nanna, Cargolux director of global logistics services, and chairman of IATA’s Time and Temperature taskforce. "It provides peace of mind to customers when we’re shipping valuable commodities from point of origin to destination. Customer satisfaction is our passion."
The certification programme centres on the use of sophisticated, specialised equipment and well-established pharmaceutical working procedures, and continuously improving pharmaceutical-handling expertise.
Over the years, innovative concepts and a constant drive for quality have earned Cargolux a number of awards, including its receipt of the Best All-Cargo Airline award for four consecutive years, awarded by the readers of the trade magazine Air Cargo News in recognition of its exemplary role as a first-class provider of air cargo services to the industry.
Cargolux is a member of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) and IATA.
