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In a bid to partake in the coronavirus relief assistance, five of Qatar Airways Cargo’s Boeing freighters left for China today with approximately 300 tonnes of medical supplies donated by the airline.
The five flights were bound for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as part of Qatar Airways’ voluntary offer of free air cargo transportation for medical relief aid organised by Chinese Embassies and Consulates worldwide to tackle the coronavirus emergency.
“When this crisis began, we knew we had to contribute to support our friends in China. As one of the leading air cargo carriers in the world, we are in a unique position where we are able to provide immediate humanitarian support through the provision of aircraft and donating medical supplies as well as coordinating logistical arrangements.
~Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group chief executive
“By working with the Chinese Embassy in Qatar we hope our combined efforts can help limit the spread of this virus, ease the burden on local medical personnel and provide relief to the impacted communities in China”, he added.
The relief convoy follows a previous batch of critical medical relief aid transported by Qatar Airways Cargo to Shanghai on February 2.
The shipment bound for China contained 100,000 medical-grade N95 respiratory masks and 2,700 medical-grade disposable latex gloves, assuring essential protection to healthcare professionals working around the clock at hospitals in Hubei Province. The airline is planning to ferry additional donations in the coming weeks.
Qatar Airways is the first among international airlines to come forward for emergency relief flight delivery.It is has associated itself with the World Health Organization and local authorities worldwide and is working to protect the health and safety of its employees and passengers.
Its modern fleet is secured with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems, eliminating 99.97% of fine airborne particles from circulating air in cabins, greatly restricting the spread of airborne fungi, viruses and bacteria.
Qatar Airways and the Chinese Embassy in Qatar had jointly announced the ‘Green Channel’ initiative for complimentary air transportation on February 7, 2020.
