Emirates SkyCargo surpasses 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine deliveries

Wednesday, Apr 06, 2022 17:26

Emirates SkyCargo has transported more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on its aircraft since October 2020. — Photo Emirates

Emirates SkyCargo has announced it has transported more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on its aircraft since the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines trialled in October 2020.

More than 4,200 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines have been moved to over 80 destinations on over 2,000 Emirates flights. Close to two-thirds of the 1 billion doses were transported to developing countries.

“From the start of the pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo has been focused on supporting global communities in their recovery from the devastating effects of the virus, and we have prioritised assistance to developing countries,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

“The strategic location of our Dubai hub combined with the strengths of our modern fleet of wide-body aircraft, our purpose-built facilities and capabilities in moving temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals allowed us to transport vaccines securely, reliably and rapidly from one corner of the globe to another.”

As early as August 2020, Emirates SkyCargo was one of the first global air cargo carriers to begin mapping out the global logistics for the transport of potential COVID-19 vaccines.

In January 2021, Emirates SkyCargo teamed up with leading Dubai-based companies to form the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance to speed up the distribution of vaccines through Dubai to developing countries.

In February 2021, the carrier signed an MoU with UNICEF to prioritise the transport and delivery of vaccines in support of the COVAX initiative. By early April 2021, Emirates SkyCargo had already transported more than 50 million doses of vaccines.

In June 2021, Emirates SkyCargo expanded its pharma cool chain infrastructure at Dubai International Airport, allowing it to store an additional estimated 60-90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines at any one point in time.

With the global scaling up of vaccine distribution and administration, Emirates SkyCargo facilitated the transport of larger volumes of COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturing origins to destinations, reaching 250 million doses by September 2021 and 600 million doses by December 2021.

In addition to vaccines, the carrier transports other critical life-saving medicines and treatments on its flights to more than 140 destinations across six continents. — VNS

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