The Airline Industry Will Play a Crucial Role in Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine

Experts agree that a huge hurdle we will have to overcome once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved is getting it to the people. Analysts say that the airline industry will play a pivotal role in distribution. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently issued a press release urging governments worldwide to start preparing now to ensure airlines are ready to transport the vaccine by air.

“Safely delivering COVID-19 vaccines will be the mission of this century for the global air cargo industry,” said IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “But it won’t happen without careful advance planning. And the time for that is now.”

According to Yahoo Finance, IATA said that transporting vaccines globally would likely require huge refrigeration storage units. For example, if the front-runner Pfizer vaccine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it must be stored in ice-cold containers at temperatures of minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to ProPublica.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings plans to be one of the global airborne armada delivering the vaccine, along with FedEx and United Parcel Service. According to industry experts, UPS has “the largest freezer farms in the world,” including one in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in The Netherlands. Some passenger airlines such as United and American Airlines will also be recruited to distribute the vaccine because they also have cold storage facilities, according to Yahoo Finance.