Emirates SkyCargo has found a way to improve its readiness when it comes to distributing a potential coronavirus vaccine globally.The cargo airline has announced that it will create a dedicated airside cargo hub for vaccines in Dubai, which will be the first time that any such thing has been created.

By carrying out this one of a kind initiative, the company aims to take a leadership position among the cargo services worldwide. It will be reopening its Emirates SkyCentral DWX cargo terminal to simplify the logistical complexities during the pandemic. The terminal will be set-up in Dubai South which will essentially be serving as a dedicated anchor hub for cold chain storage and distribution vaccine.

To handle things smoothly, the freight division of Emirates has set up a dedicated rapid response team which will be coordinating requests from various partners. To make it more specific and hasself free, the partners who are involved in the international vaccine distribution ecosystem will be availing the benefits of this rapid response team. With this, the service aims to streamline the carrier’s response to vaccine transportation requests.

H.H, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who is the chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group also expresses his views on the initiative and said, Dubai is well positioned to serve as a gateway and distribution hub for COVID-19 vaccines to the rest of the world. We have the infrastructure and logistics connections, and a geographic location that puts markets representing more than two-thirds of the world’s population within an 8-hour flying radius.”

“Over the years, through our continuous investment in capabilities and processes for the transport of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals, Emirates SkyCargo has managed to position Dubai amongst major global pharmaceutical customers as the year-round preferred point of transit for their valuable cargo. Setting up a dedicated airside hub for COVID-19 vaccines is a keystone project harnessing our network, reach and competencies to positively impact the lives of people around the world,” Maktoum added.

This facility that is being created by the EMirates SkyCargo will be the largest airside facility in the world for Covid-19 vaccines. Through Dubai hub, activities like bringing in vaccines from manufacturing sites globally, storing and preparing shipments for regional and global distribution will be done.

According to an estimate, this facility can hold upto 10 million vials of vaccine at a 2-8 degree celsius temperature range and one point of time. The GDP certified area under Emirates SkyCargo is over 4,000 square metres, which is enough and more space for the vaccine to be stored.

This facility will be further complemented by the world's largest fleet of Cool Dollys that will be used in helping to protect temperature sensitive cargo during transit between the aircraft and cargo terminal. And apart from that, rapid and efficient clearance of cargo for further distribution will be ensured by temperature controlled trucking docks and the proximity of the terminal to the aircraft parking gates.

The unit offers extensive size that will be potentially handling millions oF vaccine doses and along with that it can also handle craeton of dedicated teams to execute requests that are being brought by to the facility. There will be a combination of scheduled and charter flights that will ensure that the vaccines are being sent to the places where it is most needed.

The cargo service stepping up and establishing a dedicated facility will be a huge boost as far as vaccine distribution is concerned because the service is known to have decades of experience in transporting temperature controlled pharmaceutical products and vaccines for global manufacturers to develop innovative solutions.

The last few months, the cargo service has especially worked hard in restoring its worldwide network and cargo connectivity with flight services restored to 75 destinations by May, 100 by July and nearly 135 destinations by early October. Emirates SkyCargo takes care of all the major pharmaceutical clusters and manufacturing locations which will make it easy to transport the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing commences. 

WAM