Airlines cover more than 2 lakh km under Lifeline Udan to transport medical supplies across the nation

Apr 10,2020

Over 218 Lifeline Udan flights have been operated by MoCA to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support India’s war against COVID-19, said Sh. Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, I/C, Civil Aviation in a tweet today. Civil Aviation Minister tweeted that Cargo transported till date is around 377.50 tons and the aerial distance covered by Lifeline Udan flights till date is over 2,05,709 km. 132 of these flights have been operated by Air India and Alliance Air. The Cargo load carried on 12th April 2020 was 4.27  Tons. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the aviation industry is determined to support India’s war against COVID-19 by transporting medical air-cargo within India and abroad in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

Special focus has been on the North East Region, island territories and the hill states. Bulk of the cargo comprises light-weight and voluminous products like masks, gloves and other consumables, that consume relatively larger storage space on the aircraft. Special permission has been taken to store cargo in the passenger seating area and overhead cabins, with due precautions.

Public information related to Lifeline Udan flights is updated daily on the portal at https://esahaj.gov.inlifeline_udan/public_info. which enables seamless coordination between various stakeholders.

Domestic Cargo Operators Spice Jet, Blue Dart and Indigo are operating cargo flights on a commercial basis. Spicejet operated 300 cargo flights during 24 March to 12 April 2020 covering a distance of 4, 26, 533 km and carrying 2478 tons of cargo. Out of these 95 were international cargo flights. Blue Dart operated 94 domestic cargo flights covering a distance of 92,075 km and carrying 1479 tons of cargo during 25 March to 12 April 2020. Indigo has operated 25 cargo flights during 3-12 April 2020 covering a distance of 21,906 km and carrying around 21.77 tons of cargo.  This also includes medical supplies carried free of cost for the government.

International Sector : An air-bridge has been established with effect from 4 April 2020 for transportation of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and Covid-19 relief material. Within South Asia, Air India transported around 9 tons of supplies on 7th April 2020 and 4 tons on 8th April 2020 to Colombo. Air India will operate dedicated scheduled cargo flights to other countries for transfer of critical medical supplies, as per the requirement.