Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Airlines preparing to transport coronavirus vaccines face 'hugely complex logistical challenges'

Airlines preparing to transport coronavirus vaccines face 'hugely complex logistical challenges'

'We must be prepared for when a vaccine is ready,' says CEO of International Air Transport Association

The airline industry is readying its fleet to help deliver shipments of the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines pending approval from health officials.

American Airlines, United and Lufthansa are some of the carriers that have since shared plans to fly the vaccines to their designated destinations on cargo flights, amid mounting logistical challenges for the safe transport and handling of those vaccines.

American Airlines on Monday became the latest carrier to reveal details of test operations designed to transport vaccines from Miami to South America, which began in mid-November.

“The trial flights simulate the conditions required for the COVID-19 vaccine to stress test the thermal packaging and operational handling process that will ultimately ensure it remains stable as it moves across the globe,” wrote the airline in a news release on Monday.

This past Friday, United Airlines had also delivered shipments of the Pfizer vaccine candidate to multiple destinations, with the intention of having them available at distribution centers as soon as Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval is granted, per The Wall Street Journal. The airline was also given permission to transport five times more dry ice than is normally allowed by the FAA, in order to ensure the vaccines are stored at the correct temperature.

In a statement to Fox News, Delta Air Lines confirmed that the carrier had been preparing for the cold shipment of vaccines since "earlier in the summer," and is currently "in discussions with numerous government and industry stakeholders to understand the supply chain requirements for the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe."

Southwest, too, has also reportedly been looking to use its cargo operation to help in any way it can, per King 5 News.

“Delivering billions of doses of a vaccine that must be transported and stored in a deep-frozen state to the entire world efficiently will involve hugely complex logistical challenges across the supply chain,” said Alexandre de Juniac, the CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a press release issued in November.

“While the immediate challenge is the implementation of COVID-19 testing measures to re-open borders without quarantine, we must be prepared for when a vaccine is ready.”

The IATA, which counts around 290 of the world’s carriers as members, had also identified a number of other challenges for distributing the vaccine, including concerns over the refrigeration capacity of distribution facilities on the delivering end of the shipments, as well the availability of air-connectivity channels across international borders and the requirement to keep shipments secure from “tampering and theft.”

Other challenges include the transportation of vaccines in cargo areas of aircraft that are not primarily designed for the transport of cargo. (Many major commercial airlines move cargo in the unused areas of its passenger cargo space.) Many of the larger planes that usually operate internationally had been grounded amid the pandemic, too.

Across the globe, larger airline operations, such as those represented by the Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM and Korean Air, have been readying their freight operations to carry the vaccines, some for months now.


“It’s going to be a major logistics challenge,” Air France cargo chief Christophe Boucher said, per Reuters.

As noted by American Airlines, however, tasks such as this are not completely “new” to the industry, as airlines have stepped up to deliver personal protective equipment and testing equipment since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Despite the significant challenges the airline industry is facing, we’re working night and day to put our greatest strengths to use during this time of need — our network, our aircraft and our incredible team,” said Jessica Tyler, the president of American Airlines’ cargo operations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×