newstodate.aero

Nov 10, 2020 (newstodate): Airlines around the world are watching out for the challenges from the coming needs for air logistics to lift Covid-19 vaccines around the world.
   Finnair has declared itself rather advanced in its preparations for handling of the situation that will add huge stress on the industry in times when freighters are already fully booked to bring PPE from Asia, while belly cargo capacity remains limited as passenger flights are still at an all-time low.
   -We are ramping up our readiness for the possible Covid-19 vaccine. At this time we are planning to utilize the cargo hold of our wide-body fleet, says Fredrik Wildtgrube, Finnair Cargo Head of Global Sales.
   -The handling capacity depends very much on the actual logistics and packaging design set by the shipper. We can make estimates, but more beneficial is to ramp up the capability for as many outcomes as possible, including the  use of active containers.
   -At this time we are also acknowledging that we could move vaccines with full flights or in smaller amounts according to customer needs; again this is very much dependent on the customer order fulfillment design including ordering and logistics quantity restrictions - we are ready to engage into a discussion to iron out more details.
   -All signals indicate that our capabilities are sufficient to meet with requirements. But needless to say, we are looking to build a dedicated solution based upon existing processes and infrastructure to fit the needs.
   -We are aware that a lot of issues are still open, but we want to do our future homework in advance. It is possible that movement must happen quickly and therefore we want to be prepared and respect the customers' time, and support getting the vaccine into distribution as quickly and safely as possible, says Mr Wildtgrube.