Lifeline Udan: Over 587 tonnes medical supplies flown across India

By
A Supran
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A special relief flight of Air India airlifted 99 US citizens stuck, in Hyderabad on Apr 7, 2020. The flight, which took off from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), carried the US citizens to Mumbai, from where they will be further connected with Delta Airlines from Mumbai to their final destination in the US. In coordination with the US Consulate and the Telangana State government, a group of 98 adults and one infant US-bound passengers arrived at the airport from various parts of Hyderabad. All these passengers were serviced through the fully-sanitized main passenger terminal building, which has been kept ready for evacuation operations. Special screening and safety measures were in place during the flight's handling to protect against the COVID-19 threat including thermal screening prior to terminal entry, mandatory social distancing enforced through special queuing arrangements at all passenger processing points.The airport, shut for regular commercial operations from March 22, has so far handled three evacuation flights.

New Delhi, (Asian independent) The Centre on Thursday said that under the Lifeline Udan initiative, 339 flights have transported 587.57 tonnes of medical supplies across the country till April 22.

“339 flights have been operated under Lifeline Udan till date by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF and private carriers in the domestic sector supporting the fight against COVID-19. 204 of these flights have been operated by Air India and Alliance Air,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a statement.

“Cargo transported till date is around 587.57 tons.”

Besides, Blue Dart, SpiceJet and IndiGo are also operating cargo flights on a commercial basis.

On its part, SpiceJet operated 495 cargo flights from March 24 to April 22. Out of these, 166 were international cargo flights.

Similarly, Blue Dart has operated 169 domestic cargo flights from March 25 to April 22, while budget airline IndiGo has operated 35 cargo flights from April 3-22 carrying 84 tonnes of cargo.

The Lifeline Udan flights connect hubs in locations such as Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Agartala, Aizwal, Dimapur, Imphal, Coimbatore, Thiruvanthapuram, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Ranchi, Port Blair and Goa.

As part of India’s war against COVID-19, the Civil Aviation Ministry had launched Lifeline Udan flights on March 26 for movement of medical and essential supplies across the country and beyond.

Currently, no foreign or domestic passenger flight operations are allowed in the country.