Emirates SkyCargo has achieved yet another milestone by transporting the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines to the UAE for the first time on behalf of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
The vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech were transported from Brussels airport (BRU) on Emirates flight EK 182 on 22 December and arrived at Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 2215 local time.
On arrival at DXB, the containers with the vaccines were unloaded on priority from the aircraft and then taken to Emirates SkyCargo’s dedicated pharma facility to await clearance for delivery.
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Not a stranger to transporting vaccines and other temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical cargo, the carrier has more than two decades of experience and has set up state of the art EU GDP-certified facilities dedicated for storing and handling pharma cargo in Dubai.
Emirates SkyCargo has also established a global ‘pharma corridors’ programme working with ground handlers and local airports at primary origin and destination stations for enhanced cool chain protection. The current pharma network covers over 30 cities across the world, including Brussels.
More recently, Emirates SkyCargo has also set up the world’s largest dedicated airside storage and distribution hub for Covid-19 vaccines in Dubai with the capacity to store up to an estimated 10 million doses at the 2-8°C temperature range.
“Emirates is proud to be transporting the first batch of Pfizer vaccines for Covid-19 into the UAE for the Dubai Health Authority,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive at Emirates Group.
“Our healthcare ecosystem has played an absolutely critical role in every step of the fight against COVID-19. I would like to thank everyone who has worked unceasingly over the last year to protect the lives of those most vulnerable against the disease,” he added.
Emirates SkyCargo transported these vaccines free of charge to recognise the UAE healthcare system’s immense contribution for the wellbeing of everyone in the state.
The Dubai-based cargo airline said it has already started distribution of Covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturing locations.
