GLOBAL – Emirates Skycargo, the world’s largest cargo airline, is in the process of setting up a vaccine hub in Dubai which according to the company will be the largest dedicated airside facility in the world for COVID-19 vaccines.
The hub which will be located at the Emirates SkyCentral DWC cargo terminal will allow the air cargo carrier to fly in vaccines from manufacturing sites globally, store and prepare shipments for regional and global distribution.
The cargo airline which is the freight division of Emirates has also set up a dedicated rapid response team to coordinate requests from the various partners involved in the international vaccine distribution ecosystem.
The response team according to Emirates SkyCargo will streamline the carrier’s response to vaccine transportation requests.
Dubai is well positioned to serve as a gateway and distribution hub for COVID-19 vaccines to the rest of the world.
It has the infrastructure and logistics connections, and a geographic location that puts markets representing more than two-thirds of the world’s population within an 8-hour flying radius.
“Setting up a dedicated airside hub for COVID-19 vaccines is a keystone project harnessing our network, reach and competencies to positively impact the lives of people around the world.”
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum – Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive
Sheikh Al Maktoum further noted that over the years, through continuous investment in capabilities and processes for the transport of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals, Emirates SkyCargo has managed to position Dubai amongst major global pharmaceutical customers.
This according to the Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive has made the cargo carrier to be the preferred point of transit for pharmaceutical products for its clients.
The Emirates SkyCentral DWC where the hub will be situated has over 4,000 square metres of temperature-controlled GDP (Good Distribution Practices) certified dedicated pharma storage area allowing for large scale storage and distribution of the potential COVID-19 vaccines.
Overall the facility has an installed capacity that can hold around 10 million vials of vaccine at a 2-8 degrees Celsius temperature range at any one point of time.
Emirates SkyCargo is not a new player in the pharma distribution business.
Since 2016, the air cargo carrier moved more than a quarter million tonnes of pharmaceutical cargo, further underscoring its capability to effectively deliver vaccines to millions of people around the world.
The carrier has a fleet of modern and efficient all wide-body aircraft and a network that currently spans more than 130 destinations across six continents.
This combined with its strategic hub, will better position the carrier to rapidly move vaccine shipments from manufacturing sites to the vaccine hub and then onwards to the rest of the world.
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