The Philippines’s leading carrier, Cebu Pacific (CEB), marks another first in its continuous vaccine transport efforts last Tuesday, as it safely hand-carried vaccine doses inflight.
Dumaguete City is the first to receive this type of shipment, while another is scheduled for General Santos on Thursday, July 29.
This was made possible through the assistance and approval of the OTS (Office for Transportation Security), coordinated through Cebu Pacific as requested by the Gokongwei Group’s official partner for its employee vaccination program, Reliance United.
The airline said this type of special courier service has to be pre-arranged and is ideal for small shipments of vaccines, while large volumes will continue to be accommodated as cargo in the belly of the aircraft. All inquiries may be directed to the CEB Cargo Customer Service at [email protected]
“We are happy to keep looking for new ways to assist in our nation’s vaccine distribution efforts. We look forward to having more clients avail of this service, which we plan to make regular in the near future,” said Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer at Cebu Pacific.
These vaccines were stored in insulated bags with ice blocks to ensure its potency and efficacy and maintained throughout the duration of the flight. All bags were securely placed on a passenger seat beside its caretakers.
These items were subject to strict security measures and have all passed necessary inspections for acceptable carriage in the cabin.
To date, CEB has already carried over 4.8 million vaccine doses to 21 domestic destinations in its widest network. The carrier has also safely airlifted over 14 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China since April this year.
CEB operates the widest domestic network in the Philippines covering 31 destinations, on top of its five international destinations. Its 74-strong fleet, one of the youngest in the world, includes two dedicated ATR freighters and one A330 freighter.