US airlines say vaccine cargo could help restart passenger flights

Major US airlines are preparing for a massive airlift of COVID-19 vaccines that will not only boost their cargo business, but help bring back passenger flights that shut down during the pandemic, executives said. Travel demand is hovering around 40% of 2019 levels and will not return to normal until vaccines are widely distributed. In the meantime, the vaccine transportation itself could help airlines bring back parked jets and start reopening routes. “I think we’re going to reach a point fairly soon as multiple vaccines are approved that most of the planes that are operating are going to be carrying vaccines,” said Roger Samways, VP of Cargo Sales at American Airlines. “We’re really looking at what could end up being the largest single airlift in commercial aviation history,” he said. The vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc could receive US approval as soon as this week and may soon be followed by another from Moderna. The size and range of airline fleets and networks are key, as well as the ability to manage vaccines that require ultra-cold storage and the ability to quickly load them onto aircraft and unload them onto trucks for final delivery. Commercial planes normally carry around half the world’s air cargo in their bellies, with the remainder hauled in dedicated freighter planes. But a drastic reduction in passenger routes during the pandemic has slashed overall air capacity in the market. Airlines began operating cargo-only charter flights with essential goods early in the pandemic that have become the main driver of an international business that has otherwise collapsed. Story has more.<br/>