Emirates and other airlines are working with UNICEF to ensure that the transport of the COVID-19 vaccine is prioritized. In partnership with several partners, 16 major airlines and airline groups will help distribute the vaccine and essential supplies to more than 100 countries worldwide.
Yesterday, IATA revealed that the world is currently more locked up than at virtually any point in 2020. Travel restrictions and flight bans make travel for many difficult, if not impossible. The COVID-19 vaccine is seen by many as the answer to a world of travel restrictions. However, airlines are expected to ensure that they reach where they are needed.
UNICEF Humanitarian Air Freight Initiative
Today, UNICEF launched its humanitarian air cargo initiative. The charity works with 16 airlines and airline groups to ensure that vaccines are delivered to more than 100 countries as part of the COVAX facility. This is the global effort to ensure that the vaccine is accessible to all countries.
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In its first round of awards, COVAX sends enough doses to 145 countries to ensure they can immunize about three percent of their population in the first half of 2021.
However, in order to administer the vaccines, help is needed to get them where they are needed. This is where the airlines come in. To transport the vaccine, UNICEF is working with,
- AirBridgeCargo
- Air France-KLM
- Astral Aviation
- Brussels Airlines
- Cargolux
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates SkyCargo
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- IAG Freight
- Korean Air
- Lufthansa Cargo
- Qatar Airways
- SAUDIA
- Singapore Airlines
- United Airlines
The above airlines have agreed with UNICEF to prioritize the transport of the COVID-19 vaccine over other cargo. They have also committed to adding cargo capacity when needed, while ensuring temperature control and safety are closely monitored.
UNICEF is grateful for the help
UNICEF is grateful for the help it receives from the airline industry when it comes to distributing the vaccine. Etleva Kadilli is the director of the charity supply division. She commented,
“The delivery of these life-saving vaccines is a monumental and complex undertaking, given the large quantities to be transported, the cold chain requirements, the number of expected deliveries and the variety of routes. We are grateful to these airlines for joining forces with the UNICEF Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. ”
Many hope that with the COVID-19 vaccine in hand, we can move past the worst travel restrictions through the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries are already starting to drop travel restrictions for those who have been vaccinated. Vaccinated passengers have already been exempted from quarantine arriving in Romania, while according to Thailand there is a similar approach.
What do you do about airlines that work with UNICEF to speed up the delivery of vaccines? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!