The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stated that shipping and distributing the coronavirus vaccine to the world population would represent the largest single transport challenge ever for air cargo industry.
“The potential size of the delivery is enormous. Just providing a single dose to 7.8 billion people would fill 8,000 747 cargo aircraft,” it explained.
In response to IATA’s statement, the Saudi Airlines Cargo Company (SACC) said it transported between March and June around 75,000 tons of vital shipments to the Kingdom, including medical and personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Saudia Cargo has operated 1,500 flights since the Covid-19 restrictions came into effect in March, 500 of which have been operated using passenger aircraft deployed for international air cargo,” it said in an announcement.
An official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the SACC operated its flights to more than 170 global destinations from its international and domestic terminals and through the freight fleet.
It has also provided practical and effective solutions for cargo charter services that reach several cities around the world.
The SACC fleet has seven Boeing aircraft, including four B777s and three B747-F400 aircraft.
Asked about the company’s readiness to transport the expected vaccine as soon as it becomes available, the source affirmed that the Saudi Arabian Logistics (SAL) Co. has warehouses to store medicines in the Kingdom’s three main airports in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.
