June 2, 2020 – Aerolíneas Argentinas has confirmed a third stage consisting of 15 cargo flights to Shanghai, China, with the purpose of bringing crucial medical supplies to fight the global pandemic.
The first flight in this new stage departed on Monday night, and the rest will depart every other day during the whole month of June.
It is worth mentioning that the 17thflight from Shanghai operated by the Argentine flag carrier arrived yesterday morning, carrying more than 21 tons of medical supplies acquired by the Argentine Ministry of Health, the Governments of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Province of Santa Fe, and the Argentine Red Cross.
During the first stage, which comprised the first 10 flights, the company manufactured its own cargo nets in order to transport cargo in the passenger cabin. Then, from the 11th flight onwards, the company removed some seat rows from one of its Airbus 330-200 aircraft to increase the cargo capacity.
In the aggregate, since the departure of the first special flight to China in mid-April, 290 tons of surgical masks, gloves, face masks, biosafety suits, components to manufacture fast reagents and other health supplies have been brought to the country.
Meanwhile, the company continues to operate special flights to bring back Argentine citizens who are stranded abroad. Yesterday, a new flight arrived from Miami, and two other flights are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.
All in all, 93 international special flights have been scheduled by Aerolíneas Argentinas since March 18, when regular operations were suspended. In these flights, the company has brought 25,000 Argentine citizens back home.