Nation’s international airlines bestowed with prestigious SGS AWARDS GDP CERTIFICATION for their Cargo Division.

SGS has awarded the World Health Organisation 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 recognises 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. Among the 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.

Returning to the Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India group is in the midst of a five-year transformation program, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed an order for 570 new aircraft. In 2024, sister airlines Air Asia India and Vistara were successfully merged into Air India Express and Air India, respectively, and the Airline opened South Asia’s largest aviation training academy. A new flying school is scheduled to open in 2025, and construction of a greenfield maintenance base, to be operational in 2026, is underway. In addition to receiving new aircraft, all existing aircraft are progressively undergoing a full interior refit. With an array of transformation is underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company, operating a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of 99,500 dedicated professionals. With over more than 145 years of service excellence, combine with precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.

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