SIA gears up to transport and deliver Covid-19 vaccines

Singapore has intensified preparations to transport, store and distribute Covid-19 vaccines, while securing a supply of vaccine doses for the country. SIA said Saturday it would prioritise the shipment of Covid-19 vaccines above other cargo once these become available. SIA senior VP of cargo Chin Yau Seng said: "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." Ground handlers Sats and dnata said they are laying the groundwork to increase their cool storage capabilities to handle high volumes of vaccines. Singapore's aviation regulator and airport operator have also established a task force of key air cargo industry members to tackle the challenges of safely transporting Covid-19 vaccines, some of which - like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - must be stored at ultra-low temperatures until a few days before they are used. The moves come with two leading vaccine candidates now waiting for broader regulatory approval after successful trials. SIA said on Saturday it will deploy its seven Boeing 747-400 freighter planes to transport vaccines, and activate passenger aircraft to boost shipping capacity if needed. Chin said: "We can roughly take about eight million doses of a normal vaccine (on a cargo plane), but for some of the ones that require a lot more dry ice... we will probably be able to carry less, maybe four million or so."<br/>