Airstrike: Airlines gear up to deliver COVID a vaccine blow

NEW DELHI: India's airline industry which was heavily battered by the pandemic's onslaught is now gearing up to take the fight back to the virus via lending the key logistical support for anti-Covid-19 vaccine deployment.

The industry is expected to play a vital role in the country's impending anti-Covid offensive via vaccines.

Already at an advance stage of planning, the industry and especially its leading players have formed dedicated teams, new specialised logistical arms to safely and efficiently transport veils across India and potentially around the world.

Notably, the airline industry has the capability to quickly transport the temperature sensitive vaccines across the country from the pharma hubs of Hyderabad and Pune.

From a pure business standpoint, the integration of cold-chains, logistics and the last-mile delivery will boost the revenue stream of the sector.

Lately, the segment has become a lifesaver for the industry.

"Cargo operations have already gained pace for the airlines in the absence of adequate passenger traffic. And depending on the economics for the vaccine, air transportation is a probable option," said Kinjal Shah, Vice President, ICRA.

"This can definitely be an additional revenue stream for the airlines."

According to Vasudevan S. , Partner, Aviation, KPMG in India: "It is a huge business and revenue generation opportunity for India and can create new jobs as well, but the larger focus should be on nation building and stamping our reputation globally as a reliable ally and business partner."

Besides, Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer, Acuite Ratings & Research contended that: "It is unlikely that such an activity will have strong profit margins at least in the initial stage since it is expected to be viewed more as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) particularly by the government."

On their part, some airlines plan to deploy a dedicated number of freighters, while others have formed a new logistics' arm.

A case-in-point is airline major SpiceJet, which has tied-up with logistics' firms to provide seamless end-to-end cold chain solutions for Covid-19 vaccine delivery.

Furthermore, SpiceJet's cargo arm, SpiceXpress launched a new specialised service, Spice Pharma Pro, dedicated to transporting Covid vaccines, medicines, blood samples and temperature-sensitive cargo. (IANS)

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