- Unicef has included Kenya Airways in the list of 15 airlines contracted to ferry the Covid-19 vaccine. It is reported that an MOU has been signed to include KQ among the carriers in Unicef humanitarian airfreight initiative to carry Covax vaccines and other essential supplies to different countries.
- KQ, recently converted its Boeing 787 passenger planes into freighters with the vaccination distribution business in mind.
- The airline also launched a modern pharma cargo facility at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Unicef has included Kenya Airways in the list of 15 airlines contracted to ferry the Covid-19 vaccine. It is reported that an MOU has been signed to include KQ among the carriers in Unicef humanitarian airfreight initiative to carry Covax vaccines and other essential supplies to different countries. The inclusion, according to sources was the result of high-level lobbying by the Kenyan government. KQ has been eyeing the vaccine cargo business to lift the struggling carrier out of recession, amid a slump in passenger travel.
KQ, recently converted its Boeing 787 passenger planes into freighters with the vaccination distribution business in mind. The airline also launched a modern pharma cargo facility at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Out of the 15 Airlines selected to ferry the vaccine, only 3 African Airlines have been included. Apart from KQ, Ethiopian Airline and Astral Aviation- a Nairobi-based freighter had been included in the list. These selected carriers are expected to transport 600 million doses of the free vaccines that the World Health Organisation is supplying to Africa between March and December. The supply is expected to cover about 20 percent of the population in the continent.
