On Saturday 22 May, Chapman Freeborn charted a flight from Liège Airport (LGG), Belgium to Delhi Airport (DEL), India on behalf of Continental Carriers (P) Ltd. The flight arrived on Saturday 22 May and delivered 109 tonnes of a chemical called zeolite that is a vital component to provide oxygen.
Oxygen has been in increasingly short supply in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with hospitals across the country in desperate need of life-saving resources. Zeolite, known as a ‘molecular sieve’, works by absorbing nitrogen from the air and then using this gas source to provide a continuous flow of oxygen.
The zeolite was manufactured by a supplier in Southern Italy and was then picked up by trucks over the course of two days to be transported to Milan for clearance facilitated by Airnautic Italia. The zeolite was driven almost 1,000km in bonded trucks, also provided by Airnautic Italia, to Liège, where it was loaded onto an AirBridgeCargo B747-400ERF freighter to be forwarded to Delhi on a dedicated charter flight organized by Chapman Freeborn for Continental Carriers (P) Ltd.
Liège Airport has a prolific history in the transportation of humanitarian aid, and has been the starting point of many international aid operations for over 20 years.
Chief Operating Officer of Continental Carriers (P) Ltd, Dinesh Puri, said, “We had to urgently transport an essential chemical required to produce oxygen to India, to cater to the severely increased demand caused by COVID-19. Chapman Freeborn offered us a customised door-to-airport solution at very short notice and with prompt and professional service, with regular updates”.
Chapman Freeborn India Cargo Broker, Naresh Bhatia, explained, “This flight demonstrates the capabilities of Chapman Freeborn in assisting our customers with end-to-end logistical support for humanitarian relief cargo. We send our heartfelt thanks to the Airnautic team for providing extraordinary coordination and organization”.
Naresh added, “It is a great honour to be part of a relief operation which will be instrumental to saving the lives of my countrymen”.
