A recent conference on GDP Practice in the Aviation Industry, held at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, underscored the importance of data integrity for quality managers, highlighted the lack of data quality at some airports and concluded that correct bookings, comprehensive checking of shipments at export acceptance, and performance measurement are all essential in the pharma supply chain.  Schiphol Cargo hosted the conference, in close cooperation with DARQA (Dutch Association of Research Quality Assurance Professionals) and Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo’s Product Market Group Pharmaceutical Logistics. It was attended by high-ranking delegates from DARQA, IATA, the Dutch Healthcare Inspectorate, Dutch Customs, pharmaceutical shippers, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo and Schiphol Cargo. The event examined GDP Guidelines both in theory and practice, highlighting anomalies such as the lack of a clear definition of storage, and the fact that the Healthcare Inspectorate is only responsible for inspection of parties holding a wholesale-license, so airlines and airports are not subject to its scrutiny. Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo took the opportunity to outline its current initiatives for pharma traffic, including a feasibility study on cooled dollies for ramp transportation; re-mapping of cool cells to GDP requirements; evaluating and updating its training programs; updating its existing Quality Management System and audit programs to satisfy all GDP requirements; the development of a separate GDP-specific SLE appendix for sub-contractors; and a Quality Agreement to be signed with forwarders setting out roles and responsibilities in the transportation of pharmaceutical goods. It also revealed its plan to develop a state of the art Pharma hub at Schiphol within the next three years. DARQA stressed the strong need for validation of IT systems as performed by its members, and recommended that carriers should avoid airports which do not provide acceptable data quality. The need to measure performance was agreed, while the fact that airfreight  capacity is not always dedicated for healthcare was flagged as a potential concern. Speakers also underlined the importance of correct bookings, and comprehensive checking of shipments at acceptance. Three workshops took place; in Workshop 1:  Segregation, it was concluded that physical separation is not necessary, as long as cross contamination is avoided. Pharma must be kept clean and dry throughout the supply chain, and always in an odourless environment.  In Workshop 2: Risk mitigation, the main challenge identified was the risk of temperature excursions arising from the number of hand-overs in the air cargo supply chain. In Workshop 3: Warehousing, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo received valuable pointers from pharma quality managers about the design of its proposed new pharma facility. Says Schiphol Cargo’s pharma logistics expert, Bart Pouwels: “The event provoked valuable discussion, with opportunities for shippers and the industry to voice their views and achieve better mutual understanding. The all-important networking process has now started.”