Singapore Air Cargo Hub Ready For Transportation, Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- The Singapore air cargo hub is ready for the transportation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, said the Changi Ready Taskforce. Co-led by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG), the task force comprised 18 members from across the Changi air cargo community -- a public-private collaboration involving government agencies, cargo handlers, airlines and freight forwarders. “We are well-positioned to play a critical role in distributing COVID-19 vaccines to Singapore and the region,” said CAAS director (Aviation Industry) and co-lead of the Changi Ready Taskforce, Ho Yuen Sang, in a statement Tuesday. “By bringing all players in the air cargo supply chain together through the Changi Ready Taskforce, CAAS and our partners can ensure the safe, reliable and effective transportation of these vaccines,” he said. Recognising that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is a challenging task, the Changi Ready Taskforce has been set up to better prepare the air cargo community to meet the logistical demands of vaccine distribution. This includes assessing and ramping the hub’s ability to handle different types of COVID-19 vaccines, all within a stringent temperature-controlled environment to maintain the vaccines’ efficacy, as well as to manage an expected surge in the volume of vaccines to be air-transported to the region once they are approved by regulators. “The Changi air cargo hub has always placed a strong emphasis on pursuing the highest standards in pharmaceutical cargo handling. “Given our efforts in infrastructure upgrades and manpower training over the years, our air cargo hub is well-poised to handle the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines,” said CAG managing director for Air Hub Development and co-lead of the Changi Ready Taskforce, Lim Ching Kiat. According to the statement, as of Dec 1, 2020, weekly cargo flights at Changi Airport have tripled to more than 950 flights compared to end-2019. Changi Airport is now connected to about 80 cities by weekly cargo flights, it said. -- BERNAMA