Two high-level specialist events for the aviation sector were held at Vienna Airport from 22 to 24 October 2024 – the 2nd Vienna Cargo Day and the FlyPharma Conference. About 300 guests from the air cargo and pharmaceutical industries listened to inspiring lectures and panel discussions. The focal points of the events were artificial intelligence, global market developments and innovations related to air freight and pharmaceutical handling. A highlight of the program was the exclusive tour of the airport’s advanced pharmaceutical handling centre, which provided an insight into the specific requirements for storing and transporting pharmaceutical products. Both events were held at Vienna Airport’s state-of-the-art Congress and Innovation Centre, located in Office Park 4 of Vienna Airport.
Following the success of the first Cargo Day in Vienna last year, this year’s event and FlyPharma attracted approx. 300 guests from the aviation sector, a new record for participants. This success underscores the growing interest in Vienna Airport and its importance as a central cargo hub in Europe. The combination of high-level expert lectures, stimulating discussions and exclusive insights into Vienna Airport’s infrastructure provides an ideal platform for networking and knowledge transfer with a focus on future trends in cargo handling.
Challenges and opportunities in this sector
In addition to the digitization of cargo handling and sustainable logistics solutions, the issue of artificial intelligence in supply chain management is one of the most important trends in the aviation sector nowadays. As a result, participants attending the Vienna Daily Shipping Expo gained a comprehensive overview of the potential applications of AI, but also of its impacts on efficiency and innovation. Event highlights included lectures by experts such as Glenn Hughes, Director General of TIACA, Sebastian Kummer from the University of Vienna, and Sam Okbro from Pro Air Consulting. Moreover, a round of discussions was held on the market development and economic outlook of the global air cargo industry, providing participants with further impetus for talks, meetings, exchange of experiences and the opportunity to make new contacts. Exclusive insights into positive freight and route development as well as future perspectives on Vienna as an end-of-day freight location. After a short welcome from Ralf Rosner, Director of Cargo Business Development at Vienna Airport operator Flughafen Wien AG, Günter Aufner, Joint CEO and CFO of Flughafen Wien AG, emphasized the importance of the airport as an international aviation hub. Afterwards, guests were also provided with information about the current development and plans for Vienna Airport as a cargo location.
Exciting vision
From 23 to 24 October 2024, the focus was entirely on the field of pharmaceutical logistics and supply chains. Visitors to FlyPharma witnessed two days full of ideas and momentum on market trends, innovations, latest legal requirements, security technologies and enhanced collaboration between different players. Experts such as Sanofi’s Vatsala Sadasivan, IATA’s Andre Majeres and DHL Global Forwarding’s Mark van Bakel have provided interesting insights. The Vienna Airport Pharmaceutical Handling Center (VPHC) is the airport’s designated center for handling temperature-sensitive air cargo. In addition, an exclusive tour of the Vienna Airport Drug Processing Center was provided.
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