Dubai’s main long-haul carrier will begin shipping aid from the WHO and other groups into India free of charge to help fight a crushing outbreak of the coronavirus.
The carrier has some 95 flights weekly to nine cities in India, will initially export aid already in Dubai. That could mean major savings for aid groups as airfreight costs have increased hugely during the pandemic. Demand for air freight is at record levels worldwide.
The initial exports of tents etc will be used to construct field hospitals for India’s overwhelmed health care system.
The management said that offering free shipping for aid to India now was important for an airline that has flown to the South Asian country since the carrier’s founding in 1985.