© Ian Wilson
LATAM Cargo has reported a 150% increase in pharmaceutical air cargo shipments between Europe and Brazil in the first seven months of the year, driven largely by rising demand for GLP-1-based medications.
The growth, on the same period in 2025, comes after the carrier transported nearly 32,000 tonnes of cargo between the two markets, an increase of 27% year on year.
GLP-1 medicines, used in treatments for type 2 diabetes, accounted for approximately 15% of LATAM Cargo’s total Europe-Brazil volume during the period.
Jorge Carretero, cargo sales manager Europe at LATAM Airlines Group, said: “The growth in pharmaceutical transport demonstrates how demand for specialised logistics solutions is gaining prominence between Europe and Brazil. Our priority is to support this evolution through a safe, efficient operation equipped for the specific requirements of each cargo type.
“At the same time, the 27% growth in volume reinforces the importance of connectivity between both markets and our network’s capacity to serve diverse economic sectors.”
However, the increase on the Europe-Brazil corridor contrasts with a more subdued picture across the wider pharmaceutical air freight market.
Maarten Wormer, head of consulting at Aevean, told The Loadstar, at Aviation Connect in Athens this month, that pharma air freight volumes had been broadly flat in the first part of the year, with some changes in trade flows rather than widespread growth.
He noted that some GLP-1 shipments originating in Denmark were being moved away from air freight, potentially reflecting greater competition and the availability of alternative transport modes as supplies expanded beyond their initial markets.
“It’s not just coming from Denmark anymore, so it can now go via ocean, because the first waves of the goods have gone out,” he explained, and added that there could be multiple reasons for the modal shift.
Growth in pharmaceutical logistics was increasingly concentrated in high-value products, including cell and gene therapies, requiring more intensive monitoring throughout transport, he said.
For LATAM Cargo, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Italy were the leading European origins for pharmaceutical shipments to Brazil between January and July, followed by the Netherlands and France. Services included belly capacity on routes such as Lisbon-São Paulo and Madrid-São Paulo, as well as freighter connections from Frankfurt and Brussels to Viracopos.
The carrier said its pharmaceutical handling measures included temperature monitoring, climate-controlled rooms, cargo segregation, thermal blankets, and reduced ramp exposure. Active temperature-controlled containers can be connected to power, with batteries and temperatures monitored periodically.
The importance of qualified routes was also highlighted during an industry panel discussion at the EU CBEC Cross Border Ecommerce Forum in Liege last month. Julia Celetaria, a global pharma director and healthcare specialist, cautioned that adding a route did not automatically create a suitable alternative for pharmaceutical cargo.
“Is it an alternative? No, it’s not for pharma,” she said, emphasising the need for qualified airports and routes, trained personnel, and appropriate standard operating procedures.
Meanwhile, DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its Health Logistics Cold Chain Network with six dedicated air corridors linking Europe and North America with markets in Asia. The new connections include routes from Liège and Brussels to Shanghai, Brussels to Singapore, and Cincinnati to Singapore, Tokyo Narita, and Seoul Incheon.
It said the expansion reflected continued investment in dedicated healthcare logistics capacity.