Lifeline Udan Flights Deliver Over 684 Tonnes of Essential and Medical Cargo

Over 684.08 tonnes of essential and medical cargo was delivered till date across the country through Lifeline Udan flights during the nationwide lockdown. The programme is being operated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support the country?s war against COVID-19.

Air India, Alliance Air, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and scheduled private carriers have operated 383 flights. Out of this, 223 such flights were operated by Air India and Alliance Air. A total of over 376,952 km of aerial distance was covered under the programme.

Helicopter services operator Pawan Hans had carried 1.99 tons of cargo covering a distance of 6,885 km till April 25. Helicopter services, including Pawan Hans, have been operational in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, the Northeast and the island territories of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, transporting critical medical cargo and patients.

Domestic cargo operators SpiceJet, Blue Dart and Indigo are operating cargo flights on a commercial basis. SpiceJet operated 579 cargo flights from March 24-April 25, covering a distance of 1012,586 km and carrying 4,246 tonnes of cargo. Out of these, 208 were international cargo flights. Blue Dart operated 207 cargo flights covering a distance of 219,978 km and carrying 3,399 tonnes of cargo from March 25-April 25. Out of these, nine were international cargo flights. Indigo has operated 48 cargo flights from April 3-25, covering a distance of 72,222 km and carrying around 167 tonnes of cargo, including 15 international flights. This also includes medical supplies carried free of cost for the government. Vistara has operated 12 cargo flights from April 19-25, covering a distance of 16,952 km and carrying around 82 tonnes of cargo.

In the international sector, a cargo air-bridge was established with East Asia for transportation of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and COVID-19 relief material. The quantity of medical cargo brought in by Air India was 554 tonnes till April 25.

In addition to the above, Blue Dart has uplifted around 90 tonnes of medical supplies from Guangzhou from April 14-25. Blue Dart has also uplifted 5 tonnes of medical cargo from Shanghai on April 25. SpiceJet also uplifted 124 tonnes of medical supplies from Shanghai and 13 tonnes medical supplies from Hong Kong and Singapore up to April 25.