Singapore Air to prioritize room for vaccines, 7 flights ready

Singapore Airlines will prioritize freight capacity to ship Covid-19 vaccines and will conduct test flights soon to trial the process, the Straits Times reported, citing a company statement and an executive’s comments

Cargo space will be made available to prioritize the vaccine shipments across key trade lanes, the report said. Boeing Co. 747-400 freighters, as well as passenger aircraft, will be deployed to boost capacity where needed, it said.

The Business Times reported the carrier has seven Boeing 747-400 freighters ready for the transportation of the coronavirus vaccines, while its passenger aircraft fleet is also ready to be deployed to ramp up capacity.

The Southeast Asian carrier is in talks with some of the vaccine manufacturers, and working out details of the planned trials, according to the Straits Times report, citing Chin Yau Seng, senior vice-president of cargo.

While airlines have been laid low by the pandemic as passenger demand collapsed, the companies will be the workhorses of the bid to eradicate it by hauling billions of vials. The International Air Transport Association has described the operation as the “most complex logistical exercise ever”.