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#BehindTheLabel: PIL

What does air transport of pharmaceuticals really look like?

Imagine a shipment that:

must reach another continent within 36 hours,

cannot exceed a temperature of, for example, 2-8°C,

requires customs clearance, airport handling, and constant real-time monitoring.

This is a PIL shipment – ​​Pharmaceuticals in Air Transport.

️ What does “PIL” mean – and what does it trigger?

There’s nothing random about the PIL label:

– the temperature range must be visible on the airway bill,

– the shipment is placed on dedicated airport handling paths,

– handling takes place in dedicated refrigerated areas,

– each segment of the operation must comply with GDP (Good Distribution Practice) principles.

This is not just “priority cargo.”

This cargo requires operational quality at every stage of the supply chain.

How does this work in practice?

➡️ We package medicines in active or passive refrigeration systems (validated thermal packaging or powered refrigerated containers).

➡️ Shipping must be synchronized with the availability of a flight that falls within an acceptable time window for product stability.

➡️ We can add temperature sensors to shipments, often with GPS and remote data acquisition.

➡️ At the airport, the priority is to reduce “tarmac exposure,” meaning exposure outside of controlled temperatures.

It’s a race against time and weather, where every stop—warehouse, terminal, aircraft—must be prepared to accommodate the demanding cargo.

Why aircraft and why outside the EU?

Because we often transport medicines:

– to countries where direct road transport is not possible,

– of high value or limited availability,

– with a very short shelf life or unstable chemical structure.

Air transport minimizes the risk of quality loss by shortening transit time and limiting the number of transshipment points.

Who is responsible?

Not just the air carrier.

The following are responsible for the safe transport of PILs:

✔️ GDP warehouse operators,

✔️ freight forwarders familiar with hand carry, dry ice, and battery-powered container procedures,

✔️ ground crews trained in handling sensitive goods,

✔️ and the entire team who know the difference between a PIL shipment and “regular refrigerated cargo.”

There’s no room for error here. One mistake can jeopardize the stability of the entire batch. At first glance, it’s just a label.

But if you know what PIL means, you’ll never look at that package the same way again. Because there is much more to it than logistics.