Ethiopian Airlines carries 3.5 mn doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil

April 19, 2021: Ethiopian Airlines has transported 3.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Shanghai to Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa. The vaccine arrived in Brazil on April 15. So far, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has transported over 20 million vaccines to more than 20 countries.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, said, “As a leading pan African airline, we joined the fight against the pandemic since the outbreak of the virus. Our commitment to fighting against the pandemic and saving lives has been unwavering in Africa and beyond. I feel that our efficient and timely delivery of vaccines would save millions of lives that could have been lost due to lack of access to vaccines. Our collaborative efforts are the only way out at this critical time where equitable distribution and transportation of the vaccines is desirable.’’

Ethiopian Airlines has beefed up its cargo shipment capacity by reconfiguring its passenger aircraft and introducing new technologies. It played an exemplary role in the distribution of PPE across the globe which led to the selection of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport as a humanitarian air hub by UN agencies.

Currently, Ethiopian is developing an in-house dry ice manufacturing facility that is capable of producing 9,000 kilogrammes of ice daily to fulfill the need for additional coolants for vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that require ultra-cold environment for transport.