New Delhi: Amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus, the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s cargo terminal in Delhi is acting as a hub for the movement of healthcare and medical supplies.
The cargo freighters, fixed-wing aircraft used to carry goods, are fully operational at the airport, bringing in essential supplies like masks, medicines, medical equipment and test kits from across the world.
At present, the Delhi airport is handling 20-22 cargo flights per day, as supplies are arriving from various destinations such as Doha, Paris, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Incheon.
“Delhi airport is functioning 24/7, to handle the International and domestic cargo movements for essential commodities including healthcare and medical supplies,” Videh Kumar Jaipriar, CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited, said in a statement.
“The cargo terminal operators and ground handling team are working tirelessly to manage the operations following all guidelines of social distancing, sanitisation and health precautions. Besides, additional warehouse space is being created at the Delhi airport for holding import cargo,” Jaipriar added.
Also read: ‘Know how critical it is’: IndiGo, SpiceJet join relief efforts to fight the pandemic
Freighters transporting essentials like masks, PPE kits
According to an official statement, approximately 19 lakh pieces of face masks, 2 lakh bottles of sanitisers, 1.5 lakh PPE kits and 50,000 other medical equipment have been brought to India by these flights.
The airport is also witnessing the movement of three-four chartered aircraft every day, which are transporting medical equipment and relief materials to and from Patna, Varanasi, Guwahati, Nagpur and Vadodara. The number is expected to increase to 8-10 flights per day, the statement added.
An additional warehouse space of 5,000 square metres is also being created at the airport to hold import cargo. “We are also pursuing with Customs for adequate staff at cargo terminals for faster clearance of goods as more such movements are planned in the coming days,” said Jaipriar.
All passenger flights were suspended across the country due to the lockdown announced on 24 March to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Also read: Delhi airport records highest social media engagement globally in late March during lockdown