Global carriers leverage scheduled flights for UNICEF vaccine deliveries

UNICEF has partnered with 16 airlines and formally launched the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative, a program that not only prioritizes COVID-19-related vaccines, medicines and supplies, but will also address the logistics needs of humanitarian and health crises beyond the current pandemic.

[caption id="attachment_94678" align="alignright" width="450"] Photo courtesy of Cargolux.[/caption] Through the initiative, UNICEF and the carriers aim to transport COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility around the world so that 145 countries will have enough doses to immunize 3% of each of their populations in the first half of 2021.

UNICEF told Air Cargo World that it expects the 16 airlines involved to transport the vaccines on both scheduled flights and ad hoc charters, and that it is open to having more carriers join the initiative.

According to Mounir Bouazar, COVID-19 vaccine global logistics lead at UNICEF’s Supply Division in Copenhagen, UNICEF had initially reached out to all airline members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) before selecting the 16 carriers based on their interest, capabilities and network coverage.

UNICEF had launched a collaboration strategy with shipping and airfreight partners in 2017, but fast-tracked a formal implementation with air carriers to handle the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, Bouazar said.

The 16 carriers are: AirBridgeCargo, Air France-KLM, Astral Aviation, Brussels Airlines, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, IAG Cargo, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.

Of these carriers, most have begun to offer a glimpse at how their operations will support UNICEF’s efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. As vaccine deliveries ramp up, this page will be updated.

AirBridgeCargo Yulia Celetaria, healthcare director of AirBridgeCargo’s parent Volga-Dnepr Group, said UNICEF’s initiative will help bring the world “one step closer to post-COVID normality.”

“With our preparedness, experience, fleet capabilities and strong health care team we will be able to leverage volumes of this sophisticated pharma product,” said Celetaria in a press release. “Apart from COVID-19 vaccines, we keep supporting ongoing UNICEF healthcare programs to guarantee availability of vital medicines and vaccines from other diseases.”

Air France-KLM Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, the cargo division of the airline group, told Air Cargo World that it is difficult to say at this point what proportion of the initiative’s vaccine shipments will be carried in dedicated freighters as opposed to the bellies of its passenger aircraft. However, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo’s fleet of six freighters operate mainly on routes to Africa and South America — two continents to which UNICEF typically ships a significant number of vaccines.

Air France-KLM will, for the most part, carry the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative’s vaccines on scheduled flights, whether passenger, cargo-only, or freighter. The carrier said it has already transported “millions of doses” of COVID-19 vaccines to date, but could not disclose a specific number.

Astral Aviation Kenya-based Astral Aviation was selected as a UNICEF partner “based on our track record in performing humanitarian flights within Africa and the Middle East during the past 20 years,” CEO Sanjeev Gadhia said in a press release on the partnership. The carrier plans to utilize its aircraft fleet — which includes 747F, 767F, 727F, DC9F, CRJ 200, Fokker 50 and Fokker 27 aircraft — for high-priority shipments of the vaccines and related supplies. Astral will also manage temperature control and security for the shipments, and expects to add freighter capacity to routes “where needed.”

As an Africa-based carrier, Astral’s shipments under UNICEF’s COVAX facility will support immunization goals within Africa, according to its statement.

Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa Lufthansa Cargo, which manages the capacities of Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Lufthansa, said in a release that it can “ draw on many years of experience ” to transport pharmaceuticals across its network of over 300 destinations.

“Airfreight is essential for the fast and reliable intercontinental distribution of highly sensitive pharmaceuticals,” said CEO Peter Gerber. “With its flexible freighter network, Lufthansa Cargo is not only strengthening international supply routes and takes responsibility to overcome this pandemic. By supporting the UNICEF initiative we are also contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal ’Good Health & Wellbeing’ which we have committed to.”

Cargolux Cargolux CEO Richard Forson touted the carrier’s pharma transport proficiency in its statement on the UNICEF initiative. The airline has been certified for Good Distribution Practice (GDP) in pharmaceutical shipments since 2014, and its Luxembourg (LUX) base is also certified.

“Cargolux has extensive experience in the handling of healthcare and pharmaceutical goods as well as a strong commitment to supporting humanitarian causes,” said Forson in the statement. Cargolux transports healthcare and pharma products under its CV pharma designation that ensures constant temperature levels and monitoring throughout the transport process.

Emirates Emirates told Air Cargo World that it is difficult to predict with any certainty if most COVID-19 vaccines will be transported on freighters or on passenger aircraft since global distribution is still in its early stages.

[caption id="attachment_94677" align="alignright" width="450"] Emirates SkyCargo joins hands with UNICEF for COVID-19 vaccine transport. Photo/Emirates[/caption] “From what we have observed based on current vaccine movements, we think that it is likely that once the manufacturing and distribution of the vaccines gears up, we’ll have freighters picking up the vaccines in large quantities from the manufacturing locations — Europe, India, North America, etc. — and bringing them to Dubai, where they can be stored at our GDP-certified COVID-19 vaccine hub with the required cool chain infrastructure,” said Dennis Lister, VP of cargo commercial development at Emirates. “Smaller quantities of these vaccines will then be flown on either our cargo or passenger flights to destinations across the developing world on a more regular basis.”

The Dubai COVID-19 vaccine distribution hub, which Emirates announced last October , is the world’s largest to be certified to the European Union’s GDP standards and offers over 15,000 square meters of storage space.

Most of the vaccine shipments Emirates has carried so far have flown on scheduled flights, added Lister. “However, the scenario may change when the requirement increases wherein we would be able to deploy special COVID-19 vaccine charter flights,” he said. “We are an agile organization and able to deploy capacity very quickly depending on requirements.”

Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopian Airlines highlighted the pharmaceutical shipment strengths it brings to its partnership with UNICEF in a video posted to LinkedIn . Among these are temperature-controlled freighter aircraft as well as belly space in its passenger fleet; temperature control and monitoring in its cool-chain facility, with storage available at temperature ranges of 15 C-25 C, 2 C-8 C and freezer storage at -23 C; cool dollies for keeping pharma shipments at required temperatures before loading and after offloading of aircraft; and active temperature-controlled containers.

The airline already plays a key role in transporting COVID-19 material across the African continent from its hub at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport (ADD). Last April, the Ethiopian government and the United Nations World Food Program designated ADD as a humanitarian air hub to act as a distribution site for COVID-19 supplies and equipment for more than thirty African countries.

Etihad Etihad Cargo said it has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with UNICEF to support the Initiative. According to the agreement, the carrier will work with UNICEF’s freight forwarder network to make available temperature-controlled capacity for COVID-19 vaccines requiring transport to countries lacking commercial capacity.

Etihad is also supporting vaccine transportation through The HOPE Consortium , based in the United Arab Emirates.

In a statement, Etihad Cargo said pharma shipments booked through its PharmaLife product were up 50% over the past twelve months.

IAG Cargo International Airlines Group’s cargo division, IAG Cargo, maintains cargo operations across five airlines with the majority of its volumes on U.K.-based British Airways, Spain-based Iberia and Ireland-based Aer Lingus. In the carrier’s statement on its agreement with UNICEF, the airline underscored its ability to successfully deliver vaccine doses under its Constant Climate offering, which includes dedicated facilities at its three main hubs in London (LHR), Madrid (MAD) and Dublin (DUB) alongside more than 100 stations at destinations where IAG operates.

“We’ve already transported over 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines across the world, alongside transporting medical equipment, other types of vaccines, COVID-19 testing kits and PPE, as well as continuing to transport everyday products the world needs,” said IAG Cargo Chief Commercial Officer John Cheetham in a press release.

Korean Air Korean Air, which set up a task force last September to look at the transport of COVID-19 vaccines, told Air Cargo World that because a detailed distribution plan for the UNICEF vaccines has not yet been made, it is hard to predict the total volume that Korean Air will transport.

The carrier added that it is committed to participating in the project “as best as it can” by using its worldwide network. Korean Air is also among the carriers that committed last year to grow cold storage capacity in support of vaccine distribution, and in October announced plans to build a second, 2,500-square-meter Cool Cargo Center at its Incheon (ICN) hub during 2021.

Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Cargo announced its partnership with UNICEF in a LinkedIn post, stating, “We are proud to partner with UNICEF to prioritize the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medical supplies, medical devices and other critical supplies as part of the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative.”

The carrier also partnered with the United Nations last year , signing a two-year partnership in May with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees around the world. Qatar Airways used its network to deliver aid, medical supplies and hygiene materials to displaced communities amid the pandemic.

Singapore Airlines In a statement, Singapore Airlines said, “ With our proven vaccine transportation capabilities, we are committed to using our extensive network and work together with partners in Singapore and across the supply chain to support the global effort in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. ”

The carrier, which has seven 747 freighters, most recently transported the first Moderna shipment to Singapore, after delivering the first Pfizer doses to the country last December.

United Airlines United is the first U.S. airline to join the initiative. In a LinkedIn post , Director of Cargo Specialty Products Manu Jacobs said, “We are committed to helping the global community in any way we can, and we all must work together to do our part to bring this health and humanitarian crisis to an end. ”

Jacobs recently talked to Air Cargo World about United ’s COVID-19 vaccine operations and how the airline has grown its passenger-freighter operation to offer cargo services at more than 75 handling stations.

Cathay Pacific and SAUDIA have not yet commented publicly on their participation in UNICEF’s partnership.

[Updated Feb. 19 to include comments by Lufthansa Cargo, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.]

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