SINGAPORE, Dec 5 (Bloomberg): Singapore Airlines will prioritize freight capacity to ship Covid-19 vaccines and will conduct test flights soon to trial the process, the Straits Times reported, citing a company statement and an executive’s comments
Cargo space will be made available to prioritize the vaccine shipments across key trade lanes, the report said. Boeing Co. 747-400 freighters, as well as passenger aircraft, will be deployed to boost capacity where needed, it said.
The Business Times reported the carrier has seven Boeing 747-400 freighters ready for the transportation of the coronavirus vaccines, while its passenger aircraft fleet is also ready to be deployed to ramp up capacity.
The South-East Asian carrier is in talks with some of the vaccine manufacturers, and working out details of the planned trials, according to the Straits Times report, citing Chin Yau Seng, senior vice-president of cargo.
While airlines have been laid low by the pandemic as passenger demand collapsed, the companies will be the workhorses of the bid to eradicate it by hauling billions of vials.
The International Air Transport Association has described the operation as the "most complex logistical exercise ever”.
In a media event at Changi Airport on Saturday morning, SIA senior vice-president of cargo Chin Yau Seng said: "We have been in talks with some of the vaccine manufacturers and they are open to the idea. We are working out the details of the trials, so you can expect that in time."
Such trial flights do not necessarily need to be done with the actual Covid-19 vaccine on board.
Instead, it can be done with sensors and the vaccine's packaging to monitor how it's temperature is managed throughout the journey.
"Of course if we have the (vaccine), it's even better. Those details are being worked on," said Chin.
A range of active tracking devices has also been certified for use on board SIA's planes to let vaccine producers and logistics providers track shipments.
Outside of its planes, SIA is working with its ground handling partner Sats to ensure that the Singapore air hub is ready to handle and store large volumes of pharmaceutical shipments effectively.
"We have been working hard to ensure that we are ready for one of the biggest and most important supply chain challenges of our generation: the transportation and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world," said Chin.
"We will continue to grow our pharmaceutical handling capability by investing in our (cold chain) service and expanding our pharmaceutical quality corridor network." - Bloomberg

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.