Training is provided not only to all
ANA Cargo employees but also to partner companies.

The administrative office of "Pharma Desk" is located in the Quality Assurance. This team was newly established in 2025 to manage the ANA Cargo's service quality enhancement. Mayu Yasunaga, one of the team members, describes the Pharma Desk as the "core of ANA Cargo's pharmaceutical transport".

Yasunaga: The Pharma Desk is attended by staff from approximately 10 departments, belonging to Marketing, Sales and Operations, who have taken IATA pharmaceutical transport training beforehand. Regular monthly meetings are held, and in cases where appropriate judgment is required based on product characteristics, operations procedures & transport routes are determined upon consulting with each relevant department.

Mayu Yasunaga, Quality Management, Quality Assurance, ANA Cargo

The primary difficulty of pharmaceutical transport is the strict temperature & time control requirements. Biopharmaceuticals especially, such as vaccines, have strict product specifications for appropriate temperature control & exposure time to the outer air, which in case of any deviations may impair the pharmaceutical's effectiveness. Furthermore, standard must be met not only for the transport between airports handled by airlines, but also for the entire operations including land transport, so that close cooperation, both internal & external, is the key of the quality control. 

Thermal-blanketed cargo

Yasunaga: Based on coordination with each concerned department to implement various initiatives, our Quality Assurance plays the main role to ensure quality. For instance, due to CEIV PHARMA certification is required to be renewed every 3 years, a recurrent training is conducted every 2 years to all staff involved in pharmaceutical transport, including ANA Cargo employees. Additionally, Narita Airport annually audits the partner companies engaged in pharmaceutical operations to ensure their operations are in line with the quality standards stipulated in the CEIV certification.

In addition to standardized packaging, various needs by each project are met

Together with Yasunaga, the other 3 members, Chie Mizuno of Service Management, Cargo Services, Narita Warehouse Operations Center (WOC), in charge of frontline of the airport, and Shinya Arizono & Satomi Yaegashi of Products & Services, Global Marketing, joined this time's interview. As the core members responsible of ANA Cargo's pharmaceutical transport, they closely cooperate together every day, to take on highly challenging task.

Yaegashi: Our Products & Services section is in charge of product development by each industry. Currently, we provide a series of products for pharmaceutical transport named "PRIO PHARMA", with three lineups based on several conditions, including usage of temperature-controlled containers, or transport time. It is an air transport specialized for pharmaceuticals.

PRIO PHARMA

By providing a variety of services tailored to the characteristics of each commodity, we carefully & flexibly respond to various requests such as temperature control, fast & reliable transport.
▶︎ PRIO PHARMA

Satomi Yaegashi, Marketing Planning, Global Marketing Department, ANA Cargo

Yaegashi: For cases which cannot be met with existing products, we consult in advance with our Quality Assurance or members of the WOC - Service Management team, who are actually responsible of the on-site operations management, to individually consider the methods how to realize the requirement. Also, for services that are expected to be of continuous demand, we sometimes systematize and commercialize them as new packaging product.

Mizuno: When consulted by the marketing team, we, the airport operations staff, will conduct a preliminary review to determine whether the handling is feasible based on conditions such as temperature & time. While ensuring safety & compliance with laws/regulations, to respond to the customer's request to the possible extent, we often coordinate with the marketing side to find the optimal solution by proposing alternatives even if not able to satisfy the original requirement.

Chie Mizuno, Service Management, Cargo Services, Narita Warehouse Operations Center, ANA Cargo

Arizono: The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, is subject to rapid change of such as new medicines launch or its administration methods, leading to various transport needs. For example, the transport of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic was a sudden & large-scale need. Additionally, when typically, COVID-19 vaccines are currently administered by injection, research is also underway into "intranasal vaccines" that are administrated through the nose, and if this becomes practical, demand for new transport methods will likely emerge. Since we are heavily influenced by global trends, it is essential for us to constantly keep our eyes on the market movement or needs.

Shinya Arizono, Marketing Planning, Global Marketing Department, ANA Cargo

Responding to unprecedented strict transport conditions based on teamwork

What are the individual requirements of each customer? Arizono and Mizuno recall an incident that occurred when they were requested to transport pharmaceuticals requiring strict temperature control.

Arizono: Utilization of temperature-controlled containers is the most effective solution, when strict temperature control is required to maintain quality. However, in this case, the customer requested a transport method not to use containers, considering the cost & loading efficiency.

So, coordinating with Mizuno and other members of the Narita team, as well as the sales in the U.S., all the handling times & temperature environment at each stage, from cargo acceptance to loading on the aircraft at the departure airport, and during the flight, unloading after the flight arrival in Japan, transfer to airport's pharmaceutical warehouse, and handling in the pharmaceutical storage, were closely identified, and the entire handling procedures was established. 

Mizuno: A particularly challenging task was the fact that the cargo's exposure time to the outer air was limited to only 30 minutes from the aircraft arrival at Narita, and unloading of the cargo, then being transferred to the pharmaceutical storage inside the warehouse.To prevent temperature deviations, we had an internal KPI of 90 minutes for the transfer time between the aircraft and the cargo warehouse, but we needed to drastically reduce that to one-third.

Hence, repeated discussions with the members actually in charge of handling, and the customer was held, to find a way to safely transport the cargo while reducing the time.
Based on exchange of opinions, we came up with a solution to utilize refrigerated trucks. And to directly deliver the cargo on this truck to the ramp where the aircraft was parked.

Driving a refrigerated truck onto the ramp was unthinkable for us, the Narita Operations staff.The application procedures were extremely complicated involving risks. Therefore, trial using a simulated cargo was implemented with the customer attending at the site, clearing all the issues which gained their confidence, and doable operational procedures was put in place.

Cargo being loaded into a refrigerated truck at the ramp for transport

Arizono: It took approximately 2.5 months from receiving the customer's inquiry, conducting trial, and to finally decide the acceptance of the transport. Normally, it would take about 6 months to prepare, but we managed to meet their request and to immediately start the transport. In the end, the customer was very pleased, saying "It's like "Project X" (a TV documentary program), which really impressed me".

Mizuno: At first, there were concerns within our company and the handling partners, to perform such unprecedented operation. Though, after repeated discussions & trials, our mind changed to "impossible can be done, if we really try". It was a project to also broaden the frontline staff's perspective or to dispel preconception, reminding us of the importance to take on whatever challenges. The members who initially voiced out strong concerns are now taking the initiative in tackling the operations of these temperature-controlled transport.

Sponsoring international workshops

In September 2025, empathized with its philosophy, ANA Cargo sponsored the "Pharma Logistics Master Class" ,which was held in Japan, an international seminar on air pharmaceutical transport. Various stakeholders, including airlines, pharmaceutical companies, and cargo forwarders, gathered to further deepen their understanding through lectures & workshops.

Scenes from the Pharma Logistics Masterclass

Far left: Takeshi Arakawa, Director, Global Marketing, ANA Cargo / Far right: Tomoki Kudo, Cargo Manager, ANA Americas

Yaegashi: Our company also gave a presentation on pharmaceutical transport in response to social issues. We introduced to the audience referring to initiative of transporting pharmaceuticals by drones to address unique issues in Japan, as a nation with over 400 inhabited islands. The participants from overseas listened with interest, and I felt that we were able to demonstrate our sincere approach to pharmaceutical transport.

Presentation by Hiroshi Yuasa, Executive Vice President, ANA Cargo

Yasunaga: I, as one of the participants, also attended the lectures or workshops. Though the Quality Assurance is still fairly new, but in the future, I would like to develop a preventive system against occurrence of irregularities, rather than just dealing with them afterwards. It was a very meaningful opportunity to exchange information about each company's efforts to improve quality.

A single medicine can change someone's life.

The cargo transported on a single aircraft supports the health of many people ー these 4 staff are involved in pharmaceutical transport, having a great social significance. What do they find rewarding about their work? At the end, we asked them.

Yaegashi: For me, developing a product from scratch and releasing it to the market is a great reward.
After going through various processes, such as interviewing customers, researching other airline's products, and coordinating with relevant departments within the company, the product is finally released into the market and contributes to society.

Arizono: The Product & Services Section's duty is to develop new transport methods. In line with the market trends, creating an environment where necessary pharmaceuticals can be delivered in appropriate condition is dynamic & rewarding.

Yasunaga: Since joining the company, I have always worked at the airport's cargo operations frontline, so I didn't have any opportunity to interact with members of the head office until I was assigned to the Quality Assurance.
After being transferred, knowing that so many departments are involved in the
pharmaceutical transport with high passion, I feel a sense of responsibility to be involved with the very frontline in a different way than before when I was working at the airport.

Mizuno: This is my personal story, but I once fell ill while working at my previous job. It was right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when international logistics totally disrupted, and my doctor told me that "necessary medicine may not be delivered". However, thanks to the efforts of those involved in pharmaceutical transport, the medicine safely arrived, and so I'm here today. This experience led me to join ANA Cargo, and I feel a strong sense of mission & responsibility for being fortunate enough to be working engaged with pharmaceuticals. 

There are quite a few people around the world, like me, whose lives may change by just one medicine. I truly want everyone involved in this duty to understand its importance. I believe my mission is to consider what ANA Cargo can do and to develop operations that allow customers to reliably entrust their pharmaceuticals to us. 

Further updates will continue to meet diverse needs

In October 2024, "ANA Cargo Base+", the ANA's largest cargo warehouse, commenced its operations. It consolidates the functions of 6 warehouses previously dispersed throughout Narita Airport's cargo district, and incorporated automated guided vehicles (AGV) for operations to enhance efficiency. The temperature-controlled facility's floor space expanded by approximately 5 times than before, enabling the pharmaceutical transport to meet an even wider range of needs.

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in operation

At the same time, in accordance with the evolution of packing materials and growing awareness of sustainability, the transport forms required by the customers are also expanding. Even in this ever-changing environment, to be continuously considered by both customers & society as "ANA Cargo is reliable for pharmaceutical transport", we shall constantly update our hardware & software in a timely manner, and take on the challenges with unwavering teamwork.