American Airlines Cargo has authorized the use of Envirotainer Releye RLP and RAP containers on its fleet to expand shipping options for pharma products.
The move is expected to help the carrier better meet the demand for the delivery of medications that must maintain a specific temperature while in transit and to offer pharmaceutical shippers long-term cold-chain solutions.
"We are thrilled to offer our customers another option for moving temperature-sensitive freight with us. The Releye RLP and RAP containers are reliably designed for transporting critical Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical shipments, making it a perfect addition to our current cold-chain network," said Eric Mathieu, head of customer experience for American Airlines Cargo.
Don Harrison, interim chief sales officer at Envirotainer, said that the addition of American Airlines to the growing family of carriers utilising Releye containers is a "significant milestone" for the company which provides cold chain solutions for air transport of pharmaceuticals.
"American Airlines can now provide its customers with the latest fully connected solution to ensure the safety and quality of air freight pharmaceutical products throughout the supply chain," he added.
Envirotainer said Releye containers were created with a focus on control, monitoring, autonomy, and reliability to minimise the likelihood of valuable product loss that could negatively impact patients' health outcomes.
Releye® RAP is the largest of the new generation Releye containers, and it is designed to meet the strictest requirements in pharmaceutical air freight. Its integrated live monitoring enables unique insight into a shipment's condition and location while its increased efficiency reduces each shipment's CO2 footprint.
Aside from American Airlines, Delta Cargo has also earlier approved the use of Envirotainer Releye® RAP for temperature-controlled containers.
Meanwhile, United Cargo also approved the use of Envirotainer Releye® RAP RLP containers in June 2021, becoming the first North American carrier to do so.