Philippine Airlines lifts pharma from Mumbai to Manila in repatriation flights

July 1, 2020: Philippine Airlines carried 35 tonnes of charted medical cargo including that of World Health Organization (WHO) handled by Bollore Logistics and 15 tonnes of general cargo from Mumbai to Manila in 5 repatriation flights operated on June 12, 14, 16, 27 and 28 that brought Indians back home from the Philippines.

The carrier used its A330-300 fleet with 32 LD positions. Group Concorde operated as the general sales agent for the airline while forwarders such as Odyssey, Magnum & Flyjac Logistics were also involved in the mission. While the biggest medical charter was that of WHO, the cargo shipment flew on June 14 had Philippines' Department of Health as consignee/recipient.

Prithviraj Singh Chug, director, Group Concorde, said “For an airline that has never flown to Mumbai, they did exceptionally well in capitalising on the opportunity. A very successful adhoc operation and now we’re assessing regular cargo operation to Mumbai maybe once a week to carry the pharma share into Manila.”

Jason Siy, head, cargo business, Philippine Airlines said, "The role of cargo business units and its business partners all over the globe is critical in this period of Covid-19. Efficient coordination among stakeholders helps facilitate the transport of vital medical cargo to intended recipients. We thank our global customers for their trust in PAL's cargo business services."