Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) operator, Dubai Airports and GMR Hyderabad Airport (GMR-HYD) have jointly established a COVID-19 vaccine delivery corridor for the seamless movement of the vaccine.
Both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product named HYDXB-VAXCOR (Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor).
Dubai Airports Company consists of 88 global airlines, including Emirates, 12 international, and 400 local and regional freight forwarders and it has interconnected cargo facilities at DXB and DWC. The HYD-DXB vaccine corridor links major vaccine manufacturers in India through the cargo hub in Dubai with markets around the globe, and it can manage up to 300 tons of vaccines every day.
This alliance focuses on the strengths of Hyderabad as an emerging vaccine capital with five major vaccine manufacturers in its proximity. Also, it shows Dubai’s expertise in offering aviation and logistics infrastructure, geocentric location, and a global network to deliver vaccines to cities across Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.
SGK Kishore, executive director – south and chief innovation officer, GMR Airports said, “As the world embarks on an unprecedented vaccination drive to combat COVID-19, our collaboration with Dubai Airports in the form of an exclusive vaccine air freight corridor – HYDXB-VAXCOR will play a key role in enabling seamless, safe and efficient shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to and from Hyderabad, the pharma capital of South Asia.”
Paul Griffiths CEO – Dubai Airports
“A major surge in demand for the efficient, safe and reliable global distribution of high volumes of COVID-19 vaccines is expected in the coming months and as the world’s preeminent hub of choice, we wanted to be ready to respond to and accommodate that demand. Our partnership with GMR-Hyderabad is timed perfectly just as the global race to develop the vaccines enters the final stage. This corridor is the result of our proactive strategy to be ready with innovative, collaborative, and agile shipping solutions for the industry.”
“Hyderabad is an important station for us in terms of pharma transportation and is part of our international Pharma Corridors initiative for enhanced cool chain protection for pharmaceuticals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to transport important volumes of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical cargo from Hyderabad and the region,” told Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, Cargo.
“Together with our charter capability, we are well-positioned to transport the COVID-19 vaccines from Hyderabad to our hub in Dubai where we have extensive EU GDP certified infrastructure for pharma, including a dedicated airside hub to store and distribute COVID-19 vaccines before transporting them onwards to the rest of the world including emerging markets,” added Mr. Sulthan.
