The aviation sector proves to be a true hero in the fight against COVID-19, despite being one of the most hard-hit industries due to complete lockdown. By Tanvi Jain
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The aviation sector in India has been on its toes in transporting medical supplies both domestically as well as internationally, since the suspension of all the airlines amid complete lockdown. Many airlines have been operating cargo flights on various routes to transport the required medical equipment and pharmaceuticals in different parts of the world.
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Air India has been airlifting medical supplies on both domestic as well as international routes. Delhi, Mumbai, Imphal, Raipur, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Agartala, Pune, Aizawl, Dibrugarh, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, and Hyderabad are some of the cities where Air India and other airlines have domestically transported medicines and ICMR kits. Moreover, Air India has also operated special flights to bring in medical cargo including the Coronavirus test kits from China.
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“Air India has lifted about 300 tons of essential medical cargo so far this month through the China-India aerobridge. It is planned that @airindiain along with @flyspicejet & @BlueDart_will airlift another 220 tons of this critical cargo in the next three days,” Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted.
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Moreover, under Operation Lifeline UDAN, medical cargo flights have been transporting 108 tonnes of essential supplies every day. “347 flights, 3,43,635 km, 591 tons. The way our aviation professionals & stakeholders have come forward to add strength to India’s fight against COVID19 by making life-saving medical & essential supplies available to citizens across the country under Lifeline UDAN is commendable,” Puri said in another tweet.
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“We are supporting the Government of India in its ‘Mission Lifeline UDAN’ initiative, by deploying our Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for the transportation of relief material, medical supplies and essential goods for millions at home & on the frontline. #WeAreInThisTogether #DoYourBit,” said Vistara.
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“After commencing cargo operations to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Shanghai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City & more during the #lockdown, we plan to begin cargo operations to Myanmar soon and expand our presence in the Middle East. We’ve carried over 4,000 tons of essential supplies, medical equipment & more in 400 dedicated cargo flights during this period, making us the single-largest cargo operator in the country right now,” SpiceJet recently confirmed on its official Twitter handle.
India has been under complete lockdown since March 25. All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the entire lockdown period which is scheduled to last till May 3.
Related: Here’s How Airlines In India And International Are Stepping Up To Help During COVID-19
