Airlines Say Early Vaccine Transports Are Moving Smoothly
Skift Take
Developing an effective vaccine in such a relatively short time is nothing less than a miracle. Delivering those vaccines to the world is the next enormous challenge. The airlines took on that task earlier this week. So far, they are giving a thumbs up.
Most of the U.S.'s largest airlines earlier this week began transporting coronavirus vaccines to their critical destinations, and by most accounts, it's gone off without a hitch as the country watched the doses of the potentially lifesaving vaccine reach the first Americans.
Airlines, citing security concerns, didn't specify how much, or from where, they are transporting vaccines. In fact, security concerns were among the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) top worries as the industry geared up to distribute the vaccines.
“Vaccines are highly valuable commodities. Arrangements must be in place to ensure that shipments remain secure from tampering and theft," IATA Director General Alexandre De Juniac said. "Processes are in place already, but the huge volume of vaccine shipments will require early planning to ensure that they are scalable.”
Transporting vaccines is not only a public service, but a valuable new revenue stream for airlines struggling with a collapse in business and leisure travel, and has proven lucrative enough for airlines to return to service aircraft that have been mothballed in desert storage locations.
“United is the first commercial airline to fly the first FDA-authorized Covid-19 vaccines to the U.S. thanks to a coordinated effort between cargo, safety, technical operations, flight
