SYDNEY (Reuters) – Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways is expanding its cold storage facilities at its warehouse to allow it to carry more than 8.6 million daily doses of vaccine as countries begin to approve vaccines COVID-19.
Its capacity is currently around 7.1 million doses and a new cold storage room will release an additional 1.5 million doses, Cathay Cargo Director Tom Owen said in a newsletter on Friday.
Airlines hit by COVID-19 are preparing for key roles in a major vaccine rollout that promises to unleash immediate vitality for the sector – and moreover, recovery and survival.
“We are the third largest carrier of goods in the world, and with the 20 dedicated fighters and cargo bellies of passengers supporting our extensive passenger network, we are ready to help the it ‘s the greatest humanitarian response to a situation involving civil aircraft. that no one has ever seen it, ”said Owen.
Cathay has invested in a new-generation tracking and tracing system called Ultra Track to allow forwarders to monitor the condition of vaccine shipping in real time.
“We offer the service free of charge for any COVID-19 vaccine transport from the vaccine manufacturing plants,” said Owen.
Ultra Track uses a low-energy Bluetooth transmitter that can record and transmit GPS location, temperature, vibration and humidity in real time.
More than half of the vaccines go to waste worldwide each year due to temperature control, logistics and behavioral issues.
Logical barriers are a major threat to efforts to roll out COVID-19 vaccines quickly, but they have led to a successful business for companies selling technology for tracking shipments from a factory freezer to get a hold of the arm.
Reciting with Jamie Freed; Edited by Karishma Singh