Three Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777 freighters departed for India yesterday, carrying approximately 300 tonnes of medical supplies from around the world to support Covid-19 relief efforts in the country.
The three flights departed one after the other bound for Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi as part of Qatar Airways Cargo’s ‘WeQare’ initiative.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said, “Having seen with great sorrow the impact this further wave of Covid-19 infections has had on people in India, we knew we had to be part of the global effort to support the valiant health care workers in the country.
“As the leading air cargo carrier in the world, we are in a unique position to offer immediate humanitarian support through the provision of aircraft to transport much needed medical supplies, as well as coordinating logistical arrangements. We hope today’s shipment and further shipments in the weeks to come will help ease the burden on local medical workers and provide relief to the impacted communities in India.”
Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal said, "We deeply appreciate the gesture of Qatar Airways to carry free of charge essential medical supplies to India and supporting the fight against Covid-19."
Monday's cargo shipment included PPE equipment, oxygen canisters and other essential medical items, and consists of donations by individuals and companies around the world in addition to existing cargo orders.
Qatar Airways has been a leader in the fight against Covid-19 and in the early stages of the pandemic and provided similar aid flights to China, shipping supplies to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai in February 2020. Qatar Airways is the first global airline and one of only six carriers in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star Covid-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax.
This follows HIA’s recent success as the first and only airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star Covid-19 Airport Safety Rating.
For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, one can visit qatarairways.com/safety
The Indian embassy has expressed gratitude for Qatar's leadership and Qatar Airways for transporting medical supplies from around the world to support Covid-19 relief efforts in India.
"Grateful to Qatar's leadership and Qatar Airways for transporting 300 tonnes of medical aid - ventilators, concentrators, PPE - free of charge from around the world by three cargo planes, which are en route to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Deeply value this critical logistical transportation support," the embassy tweeted on Monday.
