Brussels Airport has launched its cool dolly on the opening day of the The International Air Cargo Association’s Air Cargo Forum in Paris.
Following two years of work with its partners, the new airside pharma transport dolly is designed to be the missing link in the cool chain link. The pharmaceutical sector is of major economic importance to Belgium, explained Nathan de Valck, cargo and product development manager at Brussels Airport [second from right in photo], and this dolly had to meet 17 requirements identified by the industry.
“We wanted to make a cost-effective temperature-controlled airside transport solution available to the market,” said de Valck.
The pharmaceutical sector has been actively involved in this project, de Valck went on to say, along with airlines, forwarders, handlers and an engineering company.
One of the requirements of the new dolly was to avoid extremes of temperatures. Temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius or above 25 were unacceptable, but temperatures in between, as long as they were stable, were acceptable.
Solar panels on the roof allow the dolly to operate autonomously for several days without needing to be plugged in, and the unit is designed to reach the required temperature quickly, meaning the dolly can be used several times a day.
Brussels Airport has currently ordered four dollies, and will look to increase the number if needed.