Dubai: Dubai’s Emirates SkyCargo has so far flown 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on its flights, it was announced on Sunday.
Since October 2020, the carrier has transported more than 2.8 million kg (2,800 tonnes) of COVID-19 vaccines from 35 origins to over 80 destinations.
“Emirates SkyCargo remains committed to the rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable communities around the world. When we formulated our COVID-19 distribution strategy in 2020, Emirates SkyCargo prioritised the movement of COVID-19 vaccines through our Dubai hub to developing countries. I’m happy to announce that nearly two-thirds of the total vaccines we transported were headed to destinations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. With our extensive reach across six continents, our wide-body capacity and expertise in cool chain logistics, Emirates SkyCargo will continue to be a reliable partner for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the months to come,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.
With the increasing roll-out of vaccination and booster campaigns across global markets, Emirates SkyCargo witnessed a steady increase in the demand for transportation of COVID-19 vaccines in the second half of 2021. In October and November 2021 alone, Emirates SkyCargo moved more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, almost one third of the total COVID-19 vaccines transported by the carrier since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key highlights of Emirates SkyCargo's COVID-19 vaccine transportation programme
- Close to 2.8m kg (2,800 tonnes) of vaccines transported on Emirates flights, equivalent to nearly 600 million doses since October 2020
- Vaccines flown from 35 origins to 80 destinations
- 7m – maximum number of COVID-19 vaccine doses moved on a single flight
- Asia (185m doses), Africa (150m doses) and the Middle East (70m doses) continue to be priority markets
- North America, Europe are the main origin regions for COVID vaccines for Emirates SkyCargo
- Emirates SkyCargo's GDP certified pharma terminal in Chicago has handled more than 160m doses of COVID-19 vaccines flown from the US to countries around the world.
Emirates SkyCargo offers cargo capacity on more than 2,800 weekly flights connecting more than 140 destinations across six continents.
