SpiceXpress, the air cargo arm of SpiceJet on Saturday airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong to Delhi amid the nation’s crippling shortage of medical oxygen triggered by the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.
“The oxygen concentrators will reach Delhi via Kolkata, where the aircraft landed at around 7 pm (on Monday),” SpiceXpress, the cargo arm of SpiceJet, said in a statement, reported the news agency ANI.
SpiceXpress’s B737 freighter aircraft airlifted the consignment.
The recent ANI report stated that the oxygen concentrators reached Delhi via Kolkata, where the aircraft landed at around 7 pm.
Ajay Singh, the Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet, said that the company is firmly committed to the service of our fellow Indians in these most trying and difficult times and mentioned that they are looking forward to bring more 10,000 oxygen concentrators.
“Along with SpiceHealth, we have airlifted 800 oxygen from Hong Kong for emergency use in India and we are looking at bringing more than 10,000 oxygen concentrators in the coming days from across the globe,” he said.
“We carried medicines and medical equipment and fruits and vegetables to all corners of India and the world when the pandemic hit us last year helping our country and our fellow citizens when they needed it the most and we will continue to serve with the same vigour. We have transported a record 88,802 kg of Covid vaccine shipment with a total dosage of 34 million Covid vaccines between January 12-April 12, 2021 and our efforts will only grow stronger from here” he added, as quoted by the news agency ANI.
SpiceHealth, a healthcare company launched by the promoters of SpiceJet, has been actively involved in the nation’s fight against Covid-19. Since its launch in November 2020, it has conducted more than two million RT-PCR tests and has spread its operations across five states including – Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttarakhand, according to a company release.
The company holds a network spanning 63 domestic and 50 international destinations and a fleet of 19 cargo planes. SpiceXpress is reported to be capable of flying over 600 tonnes of cargo daily to domestic and international destinations.
On the other hand, SpiceJet has transported more than 1.5 lakh tonnes of cargo since March 25, 2020.
The ANI report also quoted a release shared by SpiceJet, reading, “To ensure seamless delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine both within and outside the country, SpiceJet has tied up with multiple partners including Brussels Airport, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC), Adani Ahmedabad International Airport among others.”
The airline also has tie-ups with the global leaders in cold chain solutions offering active and passive packaging and has the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius, it said.