SkyCell and Alitalia collaborate to ship 3 million meningitis vaccine doses to Belo Horizonte

At SkyCell, we collaborate with selected partners to ensure that vaccines and medicines reach patients safely and on time, even under extreme circumstances. Recently, we worked alongside our partner Alitalia to ship 3 million meningitis vaccine doses from Rome to Belo Horizonte in order to support Brazil’s National Immunization Program for children and adolescents.

Two Boeing 777s were used to get the precious vaccines from Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport to their final destination in Belo Horizonte in Brazil. The first aircraft landed at 4:50 am and the second at 5:20 am on Tuesday March 30. Inside the planes, 44 of our hybrid containers kept the vaccines between 2 to 8 degrees, with our IoT sensors tracking the shipment throughout the long journey. This gave the shipment near real-time visibility and transparency while the containers were in Fiumicino International Airport waiting to be uplifted, and then again once they arrived in Belo Horizonte Airport. Furthermore, it offered the pharma company further peace of mind, and assured them that the vital vaccines inside had been kept at the right temperature range throughout the entire journey.

From the moment the vaccines were loaded into the containers in Rome, right through to the final delivery destination, our containers provided a safe and secure end-to-end protection of the vaccines. The joint effort of Alitalia, Kuehne + Nagel, Alha Group and SkyCell ensured all products arrived in Belo Horizonte in pristine condition and could be released to the consignee immediately. From there, they were made available for the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health. Maria Sacconi, a Pharma Manager at Alitalia, stated that the airline was “proud to have actively contributed to this important vaccine campaign in Brazil.”

At SkyCell, we focus on bringing safety and security to every shipment. This operation further demonstrates how our hybrid containers, with their outstanding hardware and software, provide those qualities so that pharma companies no longer feel the strain from the old “black box” approach to shipping. Hardware, like our shock absorbing feet and double-door-system, offer the safety and protection from micro-crazes and humidity. Pharma companies can therefore be assured that no matter where in the world their vaccines are being sent, or what local infrastructure is available, the life-saving medicines will be still be secure and arrive safely. Software, like the IoT sensors, gives added transparency to shipments so they can be tracked and temperatures can be monitored.

Eighth cargo operation since 2020 with vaccines against meningitis C

The two flights that arrived at Belo Horizonte Airport on Tuesday, March 30 join another six successful operations that were carried out in 2020, all of which brought over 17 million doses of meningitis C vaccines to Brazil.

With World Immunization Week about to take place, this operation and collaboration clearly highlights SkyCell’s dedication to working with some of the leading vaccine manufacturers and trusted partners to play its role in making vaccines accessible globally.