O’Hare’s only ground handler with a GDP-certified pharmaceutical cooler is the preferred choice of pharmaceutical shippers and their forwarders.
Chicago, Illinois – March 30, 2020
Maestro International Cargo, an aircraft ground handling company operating at O’Hare International Airport and the only firm with a GDP-certified pharmaceutical-only cooler and truck-to-aircraft temperature chain of custody and direct ramp access announced their support of the global airlift shipping critical medical supplies and equipment worldwide.
In the past two weeks, Maestro have handled sixteen charter flights to and from Asia and Europe filled with medical equipment and supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line healthcare workers battling the pandemic.
Unique to Maestro were three charters loaded entirely with pharmaceuticals totaling 220 metric tons or more than 440,000 pounds. Utilizing their state-of-the-art, $2 million, 12,000 square foot cooler, high-value and high-risk shipments of pharmaceuticals are kept safe – and monitored – while in Maestro’s possession. These shipments must be maintained at certain temperatures and humidity levels to retain product efficacy and ensure their safety for the patients who will need these critical medicines.
“We have been in constant contact with a number of large freight forwarders who have firsthand knowledge of the capabilities of our three-chamber cooler system,” shares Robert Hanson, Maestro’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). “These important, life-saving drugs arrive by temperature controlled truck and are quickly moved into storage at the designated range advised to us by the manufacturer.”
“From there, the cargo is stored until it is staged and moved to the aircraft for loading and immediate departure.”
While Hanson cannot name the underlying forwarder and shipper customers due to confidentiality, the pharmaceutical companies have been at the forefront of efforts to increase testing and provide lifesaving drugs to patients fighting the most severe symptoms of the virus.
