Airbus has doubled down on its response to the health crisis in India by delivering more than 36 tonnes of additional medical equipment to the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) and deploying humanitarian flights to move supplies from abroad as well as within the country.
Airbus deployed its A350 test aircraft to transport part of the consignment loaded with oxygen concentrators and ventilators from its headquarters in Toulouse, France, on Wednesday. The remaining materials were sourced from India.
The latest mission represents the European aeromanufacturer’s second tranche of support to the country. It earlier contributed funds to a coordinated response by the French embassy in India, which included the delivery of eight large oxygen generators, ventilators, electric syringe pumps, anti-bacterial filters and patient circuits as part of a 28-tonne consignment.
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“Airbus stands behind India in solidarity and service. Our focus is to support not only our employees, customers, and partners but also as many people of India as we can,” said Rémi Maillard, President and MD of Airbus India & South Asia. “This is our common fight against the virus and we at Airbus are committed to doing our best to help in these challenging times for India and the world.”
The latest contribution from Airbus includes two oxygen generator plants, 250 oxygen concentrators, 30 ventilators, 100 BPAP breathing machines and four ICUs-on-wheels. The company is working with the Indian government and the IRCS to ensure the smooth deployment of the materials.
Maillard thinks that it will take many months to manage the, and through the Airbus Foundation, the company is in touch with foreign and local NGO partners for any transportation needed from Europe. The foundation has also secured helicopter flight hours to move aid within India.
“Our Indian NGO partners are already evaluating the knock-on impact of the crisis on livelihoods and children’s education. Airbus will expand support to them to meet the additional challenges,” Maillard added.
On Tuesday, the world’s second most populous country reported its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus infections in over a month, at 127,510, whilst deaths rose by 2,795 – its lowest daily increase since April 27, according to a report from Reuters.
