A Boeing 747 freighter carrying 50 tonnes of urgently-needed COVID relief aid, including life-saving oxygen machines, will arrive in New Delhi this week to support India’s efforts to help victims of coronavirus, thanks to the coordinated efforts of a group of aviation leaders.
The delivery of oxygen concentrators, N95 and KN95 masks and isolation gowns from California’s San Bernardino Airport is being coordinated by the not-for-profit Another Joy Foundation. The full cost of routing the 747-400 freight via India will be born by Sky One FZE, a full-service provider for aircraft leasing, charters, and support services, based in Sharjah.
Other industry leaders providing support and services to make the relief flight possible are Boeing, FedEx, Regional One, JetTest, UNICAL, Ascent MRO and San Bernardino Airport, which have joined hands and resources to arrange the airlift of relief aid valued at $2.5m.
On arrival in New Delhi, the India Red Cross and SEWA International will distribute the medical supplies to struggling local communities. In total, the charter flight will deliver 5,000 oxygen concentrators, 2 million N95 masks, 2 million isolation gowns, 2 million KN95 masks and 2 million canisters of EPA-approved COVID Killer Wipes to aid medical professionals and those battling the virus.
With almost 25 million infections to date, averaging 340,000 new infections and over 4,000 COVID-related deaths every single day, India’s healthcare infrastructure is overwhelmed and its communities devastated.
“It is imperative we join hands and resources,” says Sam Sayani, executive director of Another Joy Foundation. “This mission will save thousands of lives. We are grateful to Sky One for providing the B747 freighter for this operation.”
