Logistics giant DHL Express has launched a dedicated Boeing 777 freighter linking Brussels and Cincinnati, inaugurating Brussels Airport as its primary European gateway for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments. The daily service, which began on 19 February, features active-cool containers capable of maintaining 2–8 °C and 15–25 °C ranges critical for vaccines and biologics.
Belgium is Europe’s third-largest pharmaceutical exporter, with €71 billion in outbound trade in 2023, and already hosts Pfizer’s Puurs site and GlaxoSmithKline’s global vaccine hub in Wavre. By choosing Zaventem over Frankfurt or Amsterdam, DHL cited Belgium’s ‘Pharma.Aero’ ecosystem and streamlined customs corridor that clears validated life-science cargo in under 90 minutes.
![DHL designates Brussels Airport its new European pharma-cargo hub]()
For multinationals, the hub promises faster ‘time-to-patient’ for clinical-trial material moving between North America and EU sites. Early adopters include UCB, which will route monoclonal-antibody samples through Brussels rather than London, shaving 12 hours off delivery. Shippers will also gain priority slots during Brussels Airport’s night-time curfew exemptions for medical emergencies.
For executives, lab technicians and auditors who may need to reach Belgium on short notice to oversee these temperature-sensitive shipments, VisaHQ can arrange accelerated visa processing and compliance checks. The platform’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides real-time status updates and document pre-verification, ensuring travel plans remain aligned with the strict timelines of the pharma supply chain.
The move reinforces Brussels Airport’s diversification strategy amid passenger-traffic volatility and positions Belgium favourably should the European Medicines Agency authorise next-generation mRNA vaccines requiring deep-cold chains. Mobility managers overseeing assignee relocations tied to pharma projects should anticipate increased corporate travel between Belgium and the US Midwest.
Belgium is Europe’s third-largest pharmaceutical exporter, with €71 billion in outbound trade in 2023, and already hosts Pfizer’s Puurs site and GlaxoSmithKline’s global vaccine hub in Wavre. By choosing Zaventem over Frankfurt or Amsterdam, DHL cited Belgium’s ‘Pharma.Aero’ ecosystem and streamlined customs corridor that clears validated life-science cargo in under 90 minutes.
For multinationals, the hub promises faster ‘time-to-patient’ for clinical-trial material moving between North America and EU sites. Early adopters include UCB, which will route monoclonal-antibody samples through Brussels rather than London, shaving 12 hours off delivery. Shippers will also gain priority slots during Brussels Airport’s night-time curfew exemptions for medical emergencies.
For executives, lab technicians and auditors who may need to reach Belgium on short notice to oversee these temperature-sensitive shipments, VisaHQ can arrange accelerated visa processing and compliance checks. The platform’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides real-time status updates and document pre-verification, ensuring travel plans remain aligned with the strict timelines of the pharma supply chain.
The move reinforces Brussels Airport’s diversification strategy amid passenger-traffic volatility and positions Belgium favourably should the European Medicines Agency authorise next-generation mRNA vaccines requiring deep-cold chains. Mobility managers overseeing assignee relocations tied to pharma projects should anticipate increased corporate travel between Belgium and the US Midwest.
