Airbus has deployed a new air-bridge flight between Europe and China to deliver much-needed medical supplies to France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
As the respective national health systems struggle to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak, shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff has been identified as a key focus area for efforts.
Speaking to Sky News, Professor Julio Mayol of Clinico San Carlos Hospital in Madrid said, “We can provide [patients] with more beds, but we need personal protection equipment (PPE), and there is a global shortage, and this makes it very difficult for us to send healthcare workers to battle on the frontline without the adequate equipment.”
The aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 undergoing conversion as multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), took off on 26 March at 7:15pm local time (CET) from Airbus’ Getafe site near Madrid (Spain) reaching the Airbus site in Tianjin (China) on 27 March.
Operated by an Airbus crew, the vessel returned to Spain on 28 March at 4:05pm local time (CET) with a cargo of more than 4 million face masks. According to the company, these will be distributed around the four countries.
At the time of writing, it is unclear whether this route will be maintained regularly or if the event was a once-off.
Over the last 48 hours, we have flown an @airbus #A330MRTT, from Getafe, Spain to Tianjin, China and back to ferry more than 4 millions masks and medical supplies we'll be donating to governments in Europe. #COVID19 https://t.co/ykrH2IC0m4 pic.twitter.com/T6Wxi3dqXD
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) March 28, 2020
However, this is not the first instance of the company providing aid to medical frontlines amid the outbreak. Earlier this week, Airbus flew an Airbus A400M airlifter between Toulouse (France) and Madrid to ferry medical supplies – including PPE – to the Spanish Ministry of Defence.
The company’s UK division is currently leading the Ventilator Challenge consortium, which aims to scale up production of medical supplies to Britain’s NHS.
Other aerospace manufacturers have been equally willing to pitch in to emergency management efforts; Boeing, for example, has donated tens of thousands of masks, gloves and other equipment to hospitals in the US.
