When the history of the Covid-19 pandemic will be written, certainly, along with the brave healthcare professionals, we will also see how air cargo charter operations around the world played a crucial role, standing right on the frontline to fight this grave crisis we are in. Even while they are facing challenges, the charter flights are crisscrossing the globe to move PPE, medicines and essentials with exceptional speed and accuracy.
The world is fighting a deadly pandemic and few of us are at the forefront of it by directly facing the crisis and helping people to endure. Along with the healthcare industry with doctors and nurses, air cargo charter operators also emerged as an unlikely saviour during the current crisis by not only moving personal protection equipment (PPE) and pharmaceuticals but also perishables and essentials to when and where it is much needed.
The pandemic has crippled the global supply chain like never before and also precisely when the world so desperately needed it. On the one side the world wants to move PPE and medicines to fight the pandemic while on the other side lockdowns startled the supply chains. The air cargo charters had the solution as they offer the fastest mode of transport right when people need it, irrespective of schedules, passengers and lockdown and they did it.
But air cargo chartering had been operating not without challenges. The stakeholders had to face problems from freight rates to airport congestion, from the absence of feeder flights to permit applications and from customs clearance to crew quarantine.
Jacob Matthew, president & board member, National Air Cargo said, “With complete uncertainty due to Covid-19 and passenger operations halting due to most of the countries closing airports, it became a huge challenge to keep the supply chain continue especially moving super urgent medical supplies and PPE. Charters were the only option since the traditional commercial lanes faded away and the need of the hour was to move relief supplies.”
Corporation’s distribution centre.
Alexander Kohnen, chief executive officer, time: matters said, “Between January and end of February we had an increase in transport requests from companies, which want to equip their branches with urgently needed medical supplies due to the lockdown in China. As a result, we conducted multiple movements of urgently needed medical supplies, such as protective suits, gloves, breathing masks and other relief goods mainly to China but also for instance to Italy.”
Mike Hill, director – group freight, Air Partner said, “In February we were already requested from our clients to move PPE into China and following Covid-19 spread into Europe in March, then the roles reversed with an extreme requirement to move PPE out of China. As China’s production was still restarting following their own lockdown, the early charters were affected by problems in product supply. Within a few weeks, however, there was enough product to supply the vast demand from the numerous nations.”
Mid-March twist
The picture of global air freight changed again after mid-March as the geography of the pandemic changed and spread throughout the world. The direction of air cargo and the chartered operations also got twisted as from Asia to the world.
“From March onwards we have seen, due to the geographical spread of Covid-19, a strong increase in demand for relief goods from China not only to Europe but also to Canada, Brazil, and Israel. In addition, we also conducted several medical supply transport from the USA for companies based in Europe. The requests we received were very diverse and came from governments as well as public authorities, medical institutions, and companies from various industries and countries. We conducted more than 200 charters and utilised several hundred scheduled commercial freighter flights,” said Kohnen.
Hill noted, “When one considers that from mid-March, the passenger aircraft cargo capacity was taken out of the market. Leaving only the freighters. We began our flying into Europe, with B747, 757 and 767 freighters and into the USA with B747 and Antonov 124. However, later in March/early April, the availability of the freighters to Europe was gone as the airframes, we thus turned to charter passenger freighters.”
“Although our “standard” business; aerospace, oil and gas has continued throughout, it has been at a slow pace, due to the universal lockdown. Automotive which was at a standstill during this time is slowly starting up again,” he continued.
B747-combi & B777 pax aircraft
The Covid-19 situation has also changed perspective about which aircraft are efficient and suitable to lead the fight against emergencies including a pandemic.
