April 17, 2020 – Aerolíneas Argentinas confirmed the departure of its second flight to Shanghai, China, with the purpose of bringing 14 tons of crucial medical supplies requested by the Argentine Government, especially laboratory testing material, within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flight will depart at 6.30 PM and will make a refueling stop in Auckland. The flight will last approximately 55 hours, with 6 hours of estimated work at Shanghai airport to load the medical supplies.
The flight will be made with an Airbus 330–200 aircraft specially prepared to transport cargo with the use of containing nets to enlarge the cargo capacity up to an additional 84%.
The first stage of the flight, which will last some 15 hours, will be crossing the Pacific Ocean, passing the Easter Island, the French Polynesia and slightly heading South for a refueling stop in Auckland. Then, the second stage of 11 hours will take place to finally reach Shanghai airport.
Taking into account the distance to be covered and the characteristics of the aircraft, a specific analysis of the routes had to be made since the aircraft will have to fly bearing in mind a maximum distance of 180 minutes for eventual landing.
At all times, the crew formed by 4 commanders, 8 copilots, 4 flight technicians and one operating dispatcher will remain onboard the aircraft to comply with the isolation orders.
It should be mentioned that the first flight to China, which departed on Wednesday 15, will arrive in our country bringing 13 tons of medical supplies this Saturday 18, at 6.30 AM.