SGS has awarded the World Health Organization Good Distribution Practices (GDP) certificate to Air India Limited, India’s leading global airline.
This certification is awarded for the cargo business of Air India and recognizes excellence in handling, storage and transportation of time and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments at Air India sites across several domestic as well as international cargo hubs.
Certified domestic locations include Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, New Delhi and Chennai. Internationally, the certification spans key hubs such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Chicago, Paris (CDG), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR) and London Heathrow.
“India is one of the world’s key exporters of pharmaceutical products, demanding specialised logistics and precision for their transportation to other parts of the world. This certification provides a shot in the arm to our expertise and capabilities in this specialised space of logistics, assuring partners globally that we are fully equipped to safeguard the integrity of every shipment,” said Ramesh Mamidala, Head of Cargo, Air India.
Speaking about this certification, Sub-Regional Director – Business Assurance for SGS in India, Nilesh Jadhav said, “We are proud to certify Air India Limited with the WHO Good Distribution Practices (GDP) standard for their multiple cargo hubs across the world. Compliance with WHO GDP principles not only safeguards the integrity and safety of vital pharmaceutical consignments across its network, but also improves operational performance and strengthens trust among stakeholders in a complex, globally interlinked supply chain.”
The WHO GDP certification outlines the critical guidelines and protocols necessary to ensure safe and secure pharmaceutical distribution. It helps prevent counterfeit medicines from entering the supply chain and ensures that processes like relabelling, repackaging, storing and distributing are compliant with WHO standards. Achieving this certification requires a thorough and rigorous audit of facilities and processes to verify alignment with global GDP requirements.
The certification demonstrates Air India’s commitment to maintaining pharmaceutical product integrity throughout its logistics network and enhances its ability to serve global healthcare supply chains with confidence.