Vienna Airport offers VIE Cool Handling, a new and innovative concept to transport temperature sensitive goods. The focus is on ensuring a secure and reliable cold chain in handling air cargo. In cooperation with a reputable Austrian automotive engineering company, the Vienna Airport developed a new reefer trailer that is particularly tailored to customer requirements, thus offering even better quality in the refrigerated transport of air cargo.
Each reefer trailer has a volume of 22 cubic meters and ensures problem-free loading with standard containers, pallets or loose cargo. The integrated refrigeration unit can be operated both electronically or with diesel fuel. In this way, it ensures a secure temperature level during provisioning and transport on the airport apron. As a result, the cold chain is maintained uninterruptedly on the airport apron, even in the case of extreme weather conditions.
All those involved in the supply chain have high demands when it comes to perfect cooling, in light of the fact that the cold chain must always be maintained. There are numerous international guidelines and standards that have to be complied with. For this reason, the temperature of the refrigerated trailer can be individually adjusted and is thus adapted to each product. The temperature range is from -20° to +29° Celsius.
The temperature sensitive products transported via Vienna Airport are mostly food, plants and medical supplies. In accordance with customer requirements, temperatures of between +2° to +8° Celsius or between +15° to +25° Celsius are needed.
For the most part, cargo handling and shipment at Vienna Airport is in the hands of the Cargo Handling Service Department. More than 280,000 tonnes of freight were handled at the Air Cargo Center in 2016, comprising a year-on-year rise of 4 percent. The Air Cargo Center is being expanded by about 15,000, with completion of the project scheduled for the end of 2017.
