Budget carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday said it is gearing up to provide logistics support for COVID-19 vaccination with its dedicated freighter division SpiceXpress having the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40c to +25c.

After playing a critical role in transporting essentials and medical supplies during the lockdown, SpiceXpress has come forth to take up the responsibility of seamlessly transporting the vaccine through a specialised service called Spice Pharma Pro, SpiceJet said in a release.

The temperature sensitivity to maintain the efficacy of the vaccine calls for reliable, fast and secure logistics partners who understand the importance of cold chain, and to this end the company has partnered with global leaders in the segment, it said. ”Since the lockdown began, SpiceJet and its cargo arm, SpiceXpress, have worked relentlessly to ensure the transport of vital goods and medical supplies to all corners of India and the world. We have been preparing for the humongous task of transporting medicines, vaccines, blood samples and temperature-sensitive cargo by developing end-to-end cold chain logistics solutions,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.

With a dedicated fleet of 17 cargo aircraft, SpiceXpress is capable of flying cargo to both domestic as well as international destinations. SpiceJet has transported 85,000 tons of cargo since the lockdown in March and the airline’s international cargo network now spans over 50 international destinations including the US, the UK, Germany, France, Russia, Uzbekistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, Myanmar, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada among others, according to the airline.

Besides, the airline also offers a plethora of other benefits such as a network of warehouses equipped with deep freezers to enable change of cool packs and ground vehicles and containers to help transport sensitive cargo, SpiceJet said in the release. ”We have now tied up with global leaders in cold chain solutions offering active and passive packaging with dedicated equipment to perform seamless cold chain operations and I am happy to share that today SpiceXpress has the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40c to +25c.

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”SpiceXpress is ready for the enormous task of distributing sensitive goods both domestically and internationally including Covid-19 vaccines that require stringent transportation conditions,” said Singh.

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First Published:Dec 2, 2020 12:29 PM IST