Controlling the pandemic is dependent, among other things, on improving the pace of the vaccine rollout. Since last December when the first vaccines reached Spain in aircraft holds, IBAS has been actively involved in arranging their transfer to cargo terminals or transit to other destinations.

We are experts in handling all kinds of dangerous goods, such as radioactive material, lithium batteries, flammable liquids, and the prized vaccines we are all anxiously waiting to receive.

Our ground assistance staff have all the necessary training to handle and transport these vaccines on the ground with the appropriate security and efficiency. We also comply with the requirements imposed by both the authorities and each of our customer airlines, and we step up our procedures in specific situations like the unfortunate one we are currently experiencing where handling vaccines has become a very frequent aspect of the service we provide.

COVID vaccines are transported in packages that contain an enormous quantity of dry ice to keep them at the correct temperature. This vast amount of dry ice can release high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere with harmful health effects if the recommendations are not followed when loading and unloading them, so extreme precautions are required.

Besides, we are the IAG Cargo handling agent at the Madrid cargo terminal, which is where the largest specialist centre for the correct management of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products is located, with a team specially trained in GDP (Good Distribution Practice) and a fleet of refrigerated vehicles.