Sonoco ThermoSafe announced that its new Pegasus ULD® bulk temperature-controlled container has received FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approval as a unit load device (ULD).
The Pegasus ULD® is the world’s first passive bulk temperature-controlled container for pharmaceutical use that is an FAA-approved unit load device, which allows it to speed through existing international ground handling and customs processes at the lowest possible cost. FAA approval officially enables reciprocal EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) approval, which is anticipated in the very near future.
Engineered with composite materials, the Pegasus ULD® will offer a lighter solution that is substantially more damage-resistant than traditional metal containers. Additionally, the Pegasus contains a fully integrated, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved telemetry system, providing real-time, cloud-based data on payload and ambient temperature and key environmental factors, precisely synchronized with GPS location. Integrated onboard telemetry monitors your shipment on the ground and in the air, recording everything from temperature to tilt.
The rental model means Pegasus ULDs are reused several times over. On retirement, they are 90% recyclable by weight.
To create the Pegasus ULD, Sonoco ThermoSafe signed a long-term exclusive development and manufacturing agreement with AEROTUF, a leading supplier of innovative composite ULD containers (www.aerotuf.com). The partnership combines ThermoSafe’s expertise in thermal engineering and pharmaceutical logistics with AEROTUF’s materials science and aeronautical engineering capabilities. The first Pegasus ULD will be the AKP size, which fits a full US pallet and shares the same footprint of the AKE size without the imbalanced overhang section which accounts for over 80% of transit damage in AKE/RKN containers.
“FAA approval of our new Pegasus ULD® is an important milestone and puts us another step closer to our launch date for the rental program,” said Ron Haub, Segment Director for Sonoco ThermoSafe. “This approval accelerates the adoption of the Pegasus ULD across the worldwide air freight marketplace during the world’s most dire need for distribution of temperature-sensitive vaccines, treatments, and therapies.”
Visit https://www.thermosafe.com/pegasus-uld to learn more.