The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said recently the world will need close to 8,000 jumbo jets to deliver the coronavirus vaccine across the world.
- Specifically, officials will need 8,000 Boeing 747s.
- “Land transport will help, especially in developed economies with local manufacturing capacity. But vaccines cannot be delivered globally without the significant use air cargo,” IATA said, according to CNBC.
- “While there are still many unknowns (number of doses, temperature sensitivities, manufacturing locations, etc.), it is clear that the scale of activity will be vast, that cold chain facilities will be required and that delivery to every corner of the planet will be needed.”
The IATA is already working with airlines and airports to figure out how to distribute a vaccine worldwide once it becomes available, BBC News reports.
- The plan is currently operating under the idea that one person will receive one dose.
- “Safely delivering COVID-19 vaccines will be the mission of the century for the global air cargo industry. But it won’t happen without careful advance planning. And the time for that is now,” IATA’s chief executive Alexandre de Juniac told BBC News.
The IATA has told governments to begin a dialogue with the supply chains to make sure there are proper facilities, security and border processes to make the vaccine easy to receive, according to CNN.