Fraport Expands Fleet of Temperature-Controlled Transporters at Frankfurt Airport

Fraport, the owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport (FRA), will be using two additional state-of-the-art refrigerated trailers for the transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. This will take Fraport’s total fleet for cross-apron transportation up to 20 temperature-controlled transporters. 

“The two new refrigerated transporters will give us maximum flexibility when it comes to handling temperature-sensitive goods. We have profound expertise in this area, and our customers benefit from this. It means that we can offer ideal infrastructure conditions together with our partners at Air Cargo Community in Frankfurt,” said Siegfried Pasler, Head of Ground Handling Services at Fraport AG. The new dollies are called “cool boxes.” They allow pinpoint transportation of temperature-sensitive products in a range of between minus 20 and plus 30 degrees Celsius. Each transporter has two cabins, which can be accessed efficiently from both sides. Each cabin is also fitted with an individually adjustable cooling system. Even when the engine is switched off and the outside temperature is 30 degrees Celsius, the cabin will remain at the set temperature for over 60 minutes. The transporters also have an electronic temperature monitoring system and a tracking system, which enable them to continuously transmit up-to-the-minute loading information.

“Last year, we handled 120,000 metric tons of pharmaceutical products at Frankfurt Airport, making us Europe’s leading pharmaceutical hub. The expansion of the fleet significantly underpins our status even further, particularly with a view to the upcoming transportation of the coronavirus vaccine,” explained Max Philipp Conrady, Head of Cargo Infrastructure and Development at Fraport. 

Fraport has been using state-of-the-art, high-performance temperature-controlled transporters for over twenty years now, giving the airport operator a long track record in this area. Frankfurt Airport currently has around 12,000 square meters of temperature-controlled handling capacity available for pharmaceutical products. Another 2,000 square meters are about to be put into operation. Over 75 percent of the airport’s transport routes are certified in accordance with international and European CEIV¹ standards. 

[1] The international CEIV (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics) classification attests to reliable handling of time-critical and temperature-sensitive products. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) developed this global standard, which helps airlines, handling companies and forwarding agents to comply with internationally applicable rules and norms for pharmaceutical products.