Emirates opens humanitarian air bridge between India and Dubai to transport urgent Covid-19 relief supplies

Emirates has set up a humanitarian air bridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical and relief items, to support India in its fight to control the serious Covid-19 situation in the country, reveals a press release.

Emirates will offer cargo capacity free of charge on an "as available" basis on all of its flights to nine cities in India, to help international NGOs deliver relief supplies rapidly to where it is needed.

In the past weeks, Emirates SkyCargo, cargo division of Emirates airline has already been transporting medicines and medical equipment on scheduled and charter cargo flights to India. This latest airbridge initiative takes Emirates' support for India and for the NGO community to the next level.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates' Chairman and Chief Executive, said: "India and Emirates are deeply connected, since our first flights to India in 1985. We stand with the Indian people and will do all we can to help India get back on its feet. "

The first shipment sent as part of the Emirates India humanitarian airbridge is a consignment of over 12 tons of multi-purpose tents from the World Health Organization (WHO), destined for Delhi, and coordinated by the IHC in Dubai.

International Humanitarian City( IHC) will support Emirates SkyCargo in channelling relief efforts to India through the airbridge. The freight division of Emirates has a close partnership with IHC, developed over several years of delivering relief materials to communities across the world impacted by natural disasters and other crises.

In addition, Emirates SkyCargo has partnered with UNICEF and other entities in Dubai through the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance, to transport Covid-19 vaccines rapidly to developing nations through Dubai. So far, close to 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been transported on Emirates' flights to various destinations.