The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says delivery of any future coronavirus vaccine requires “careful planning” with the air transport industry now to avoid “potentially severe” issues when the medicine is ready for global distribution.
Calling it the “largest single transport challenge ever”. IATA called on governments across the globe to start preparing for the large-scale delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“The potential size of the delivery is enormous. Just providing a single dose to 7.8 billion people would fill 8,000 (Boeing) 747 cargo aircraft,” the association said.
Experts estimate the global population hit 7.8 billion in March this year.
IATA added: “Land transport will help, especially in developed economies with local manufacturing capacity. But vaccines cannot be delivered globally without the significant use of air cargo.”
Be fully prepared
IATA also urged governments across the globe to begin planning with “industry stakeholders” to ensure full preparedness when vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and available for distribution.
Several vaccines are in late-stage clinical trials, but only Russia has approved its own vaccine for use so far.
IATA noted that air cargo plays “a key role in the distribution of vaccines in normal times through well-established global time- and temperature-sensitive distribution systems”, a capability that will be crucial when it comes to transporting vaccines around the world.
Valuable commodities
IATA said the transportation of vaccines is not simple. To ensure the quality of the product, they have to be handled and transported in line with international regulatory requirements, at controlled temperatures and without delay.
“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,” IATA said.
The association said the priorities for governments were to ensure facilities, security and border processes were prepared now to ensure the quality of the vaccine.
It recommended the procurement or repurposing of buildings to ensure there were temperature-controlled facilities and equipment available, as well as making sure there are enough people trained to handle time- and temperature-sensitive vaccines.
Severe downturn
Governments also have to consider the current diminished cargo capacity of the global air transport industry, IATA said, amid what it called a “severe downturn” in passenger traffic that had forced many airlines to downsize and put many aircraft into remote, long-term storage.
“If borders remain closed, travel curtailed, fleets grounded and employees furloughed, the capacity to deliver life-saving vaccines will be very much compromised,” IATA’s director general and chief executive officer, Alexandre de Juniac, said.
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