AirAsia was able to secure authorization from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to airlift Covid-19 vaccines across the archipelago, in time for the expected arrival of the bulk of vaccines in the coming weeks and months.
National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., said the country is expecting the delivery of 1 million doses of CoronaVac, 15,000 doses of Sputnik V, and 195,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines towards the end of April.
Moderna is slated to begin the delivery of 13 million doses starting June.
AirAsia targets to transport Covid-19 vaccines from Manila to Cebu and Davao starting this week, and thereafter, from Clark and Zamboanga, and other routes such as Bacolod, Bohol, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, General Santos City and Puerto Princesa.
Utilizing the A320 plane, AirAsia expressed willingness to mount chartered cargo flights to other destinations not presently covered by its existing route network to facilitate prompt delivery of much needed vaccines.
“We have actively participated in different humanitarian projects in the past through a series of humanitarian flights to bring the much-needed help especially in the provinces which are not yet part of the AirAsia route network. Bringing the vaccines to the farthest localities in the provinces isn’t much of a challenge for us,” said Ricky Isla, the carrier’s Philippine CEO.
“Our business model used to be purely air transport. The pandemic made us rethink and reassess areas that are essential. You can be assured that revitalizing the air transportation sector is AirAsia’s commitment to the Filipino people.” He said AirAsia’s personnel were subjected to “intense” technical training, and adequate preparations were also laid out to make sure the human and engineering components of vaccine handling are met, and of the highest standards.
AirAsia will utilize Aircraft CO2 Detectors which will play an important role in ensuring safety in the cabin during each delivery.
The carrier is already in talks with different local government units in their route network to efficiently map out the deliveries.
Meanwhile, the company’s cargo and logistic venture, Teleport, will also play a big role in the movement of the vaccines on land.