GURUGRAM, JAN 12
SpiceJet, the country’s favourite airline announced on Tuesday (January 12, 2021) that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brussels Airport in Belgium for providing seamless transportation of Covid-19 vaccine.
As strategic partners, both SpiceJet and Brussels Airport Company NV will jointly work with the Government, pharma companies and forwarders to ensure a reliable ecosystem for vaccine delivery in a temperature-controlled environment. Besides, they will also work towards developing and strengthening a direct air link for SpiceJet with Brussels Airport.
As part of this association, Brussels Airport will be SpiceJet’s first flight point for Europe. The airline’s cargo arm, SpiceXpress, envisions to provide rapid and secure transportation of Covid-19 vaccine from and to Europe and beyond with proper temperature-controlled mechanism under the MoU.
Brussels Airport shall provide assistance to SpiceJet with regards to slots, networking contracts etc. to provide efficient and speedy solution for delivery. Brussels Airport has several years of expertise in the transport of temperature-sensitive products and has handled multiple flights carrying Covid vaccine recently.
Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “We are delighted to partner with Brussels Airport in our fight against the pandemic. This tie-up will help SpiceJet to seamlessly transport vaccines not only from Europe and beyond to India but also help Indian manufacturers export extremely sensitive drugs in a safe and controlled environment. We are fully committed and prepared to transport the Covid vaccine and assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind.”
Arnaud Feist, CEO, Brussels Airport Company said, “As Europe’s preferred airport for the transport of temperature-sensitive products, Brussels Airport, certified IATA CEIV Pharma, has more than 30,000m² of temperature-controlled areas. As from today, we have already shipped more than 10 million doses of vaccine from our Brucargo platform to destinations around the world. In this context, we are very pleased to be partnering with SpiceJet and to be able to offer our expertise for the future distribution of vaccines from India within Europe and beyond. Together, we will make our contribution to the solution to this global health crisis.”
As part of its continued efforts to take up the responsibility of transporting Covid-19 vaccine to every part of the country as well as outside India, SpiceJet has partnered with GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo, Om Logistics Ltd., Snowman Logistics among others.
With a network spanning 54 domestic and 45 international destinations and a fleet of 17 cargo planes, SpiceXpress is capable of flying over 500 tonnes of cargo per day to both domestic and a wide list of international destinations.
The airline has also tied up with global leaders in cold chain solutions offering active and passive packaging with dedicated equipment to perform seamless cold chain operations.
SpiceXpress has the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs, vaccines blood samples and medicines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40°c to +25°c. Besides, the airline also offers other benefits such as a network of warehouses equipped with deep freezers to enable change of cool packs and ground vehicles and containers to help transport sensitive cargo.
Ever since the lockdown began, SpiceJet and its cargo arm, SpiceXpress, has played a critical role and worked relentlessly to ensure that the country’s supply chain remained intact.
The airline has helped in the transportation of vital goods and medical supplies to nook and corners of the country and the world. SpiceJet has operated more than 12,600 cargo flights since the lockdown began and carried around 1,02,000 tonnes of cargo. SpiceXpress has the capability of providing door-to-door deliveries to over 12,600 pin codes across India, a release from the company said.
