Challenge of The Century for Air Cargo

 The announcement of Pfizer few days ago about #Covid_19 vaccine near mass production, raised the challenge for delivering what is estimated by 15 Billion dosage of a product that needs special treatment to ship it by air worldwide. Previously, air cargo industry faced the challenge of delivering PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) amidst the breakout of Covid-19 pandemic. But the coming challenge to ship the vaccine is even more difficult due to the special nature of this product and the required circumstances to transport it safely and efficiently once available.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to work airlines and airports to ensure the readiness when the vaccine is delivered. The International Air Transport Association has also warned governments of the possibility of severe restrictions that may limit the capabilities of aircraft transporting the vaccine, and called on governments to remove any obstacles, whether on the transit or landing of aircraft, as well as procedures for customs release of vaccine shipments.

Delivering the Vaccine is Mount Everest Climb task

During normal times, transporting temperature sensitive materials is difficult, but nothing like facing the huge task of shipping a coronavirus vaccine.

Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said in a statement: “Safely shipping Coronavirus vaccines will be the century's mission for the global air cargo industry. But that will not happen without careful advance planning. The time for that is now. We urge governments to take action. Take the lead in facilitating cooperation across the logistics chain so that facilities, security arrangements, and border operations are ready for the next huge and complex task. ”

15 Billion Doses

Health experts estimate that about 15 billion doses of the vaccine will need to be distributed worldwide. Many of them will need to be transported at extremely low temperatures. To clarify an idea of ​​the sensitivity of the element to heat, the virus vaccine produced by the virus company must be shipped frozen at -70 degrees Celsius. While there are still many unknowns, systems and regulations must be in place to ensure the safe distribution of the vaccine.

The priorities for providing the necessary facilities to distribute the vaccine include the following:

- Staff have been trained to handle time and temperature sensitive vaccines

- Temperature control facilities and equipment

- Maintain monitoring capabilities to ensure vaccine safety

Coronavirus vaccine will be a high value commodity that must be kept safe from tampering and theft. Arrangements should be made with border and customs officials to ensure rapid regulatory approvals are obtained so that the safety of the vaccine is not compromised. Other helpful measures can include:

- Introducing fast track procedures for overflight and landing permits.

- Exempting crew members from quarantine.

- Remove the night curfew and allow airports to remain open around the clock.

- Temporary passage rights for operators providing the vaccine.

- Giving priority access over other air traffic.

Airlines Ready for The Challenge

Emirates Airlines was the first company to announce its readiness to start the process of transporting the vaccine by allocating refrigerated storage areas up to 4,000 square meters with a capacity of 4,600 pallets to be one of the main hubs for transporting the vaccine around the world due to the expansion of its network of lines around the world. It also owns the refrigerated containers required to transport the vaccine doses. The company also has great experience in transporting pharmaceutics.

In a press release issued by KLM on Friday, Dutch national carriers said they have the logistical solutions to ensure the vaccine maintains a constant temperature throughout its distribution. In the press release, Peter Elbers, CEO of KLM said:

"The prospect of a COVID-19 vaccine arriving is very good news. At the same time, it brings with it a new challenge; the fast and safe transfer of billions of vaccines around the world. We are ready for that, thanks to colleagues and partners who have worked hard on this together."