MONTEVIDEO: August 28, 2018. From September 03, LATAM Cargo begins a GDP-compliant B767-300ER freighter service linking Montevideo Free Airport (MVD) with Brussels to support pharma and cold chain shippers.
Earlier this month MVD announced the expansion of its cold chain facilities with the construction of a second warehouse in response to demand by global pharma companies to use the airport as regional distribution centre.
“We’ve seen the global pharma market truly shift their eyes to Uruguay as an entry point,” commented MVD senior manager Hans Guiscardo. “Our second Pharma Hub will provide us with additional capacity in terms of storage at +15 + 25, +2+8 and freezer temperature ranges, as well as additional working space for secondary conditioning and for cross-docking operations,” he explained. “This, combined with the augmented connectivity from Europe to MVD that has materialized in the past weeks strengthens [Uruguay’s] value proposition considerably moving forward.”
The airport says it is expecting the additional warehouse capacity to be available by the end of next year in support of reduced Customs clearance times and a safer, traceable entry to “complex” South American markets.
Commenting on the new freighter service, LATAM Cargo sales manager Germany, Benelux, Switzerland & Austria Jorge Carretero said his airline is responding to shipper and forwarder demands for "enhanced access to large emerging markets such as Brazil and Argentina".
MVD managing director Bruno Guella said he was in touch with “dozens of shippers” given the airport’s multimodal capabilities and the possibility of reaching large pharma markets faster and cheaper from a GDP-compliant, modern infrastructure.
“We are very happy to be a part of an innovative solution that is changing the way pharma distribution is done in South America,” added Steven Polmans, head of Cargo at Brussels Airport. “We understand the value of what is being launched here. This is not just an additional route, this is the first step connecting these gateways, allowing for a smarter, safer, more reliable entry to one of the largest emerging regions in the world.”
MVD is a business unit of Corporación America that operates a network of over 50 airports and cargo terminals across three continents.
