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United Airlines began charter flights on Friday to send doses of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidates to prepare for distribution, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cites people familiar with the matter.
In a statement to The Hill, the Federal Aviation Administration said it “supported the first mass aerial shipment of a vaccine” on Friday.
“Due to the historic pace of vaccine development through Operation Warp Speed and careful logistical planning, the FAA is today supporting the first mass aerial shipment of a vaccine,” the statement read. FAA.
The FAA said it is working alongside manufacturers, air carriers and airport authorities to provide advice on the implementation of existing regulatory requirements for the safe transport of large amounts of dry ice air cargo. Due to the complexity of the accelerated vaccine, Pfizer’s candidate must be stored at sub-zero temperatures, which means that special arrangements must be made for transportation and storage.
“The FAA in October established an` `FAA COVID-19 Vaccine Air Transport Team ” to ensure safe, rapid and efficient transport of vaccines. Several vaccines require continuous cold temperatures during transport, which in some equipment, ”the statement added.
A United spokesperson told The Hill in a statement Friday that the vaccine rollout was being managed by United Cargo, which set up a COVID preparedness task force earlier this year “to help us implement places the right people, products, services and partnerships to support a global vaccine distribution effort. “
“We are committed to our pharmaceutical and medical customers to be ready to respond safely and efficiently to their vaccine transport needs,” added the spokesperson, noting that vaccine safety and security “is our priority. “.
United did not provide details of which flights have been designated to carry vaccine supplies.
24-hour air traffic services will prioritize flights carrying vaccines to ensure the highest level of security for the transport of applicants, the FAA said.
Pfizer, based in the United States, and BioNTech, based in Germany, said their vaccine candidate had a 95% effectiveness rate in an advanced clinical trial.
The two companies are awaiting emergency use authorization after submitting an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week.
The decision to charter flights for the vaccine is part of Pfizer’s program to distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible once it is approved for the EUA.
Part of the company’s distribution plan will include existing and additional refrigerated storage sites in the United States and Europe. The Journal also reported that the plan called for using “dozens of freight flights and hundreds of truck trips each day.”
Shares of Pfizer and United edged up nearly 0.1% in Friday’s extended market session.
Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
– Update at 8:28 p.m.
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