Aer Lingus to receive almost E30m for collecting PPE from China

Aer Lingus is to receive almost E30m from the Health Service Executive for the transport of vital supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Ireland from China since March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline operated a PPE airbridge for 14 weeks from March 29th to June 26th between Dublin and Beijing where 259 rotations between the two cities represented the largest cargo operation by air in the history of the State. According to the HSE, Aer Lingus operated up to five flights a day over the 14 weeks and in total flew 4.75m km and transported 35,000 cubic metres or 4,000 tonnes comprising more than 86 million pieces of PPE. Records show Aer Lingus has lodged invoices totalling E30.3m to the HSE for the 259 flights. The invoices show the E30.3m includes Russian over-flight charges made to Aer Lingus of E641,814 for the use of Russian airspace during the trips.<br/>