FedEx had the honour of flying the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine.
Right after the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was cleared by Food And Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in the United States, cargo giants started shipping the vaccines across United States.
The 1st batch of COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use left the Michigan facility on 13th December,2020 before making its way through the FedEx network.
The flight carrying the vaccine departed from Grand Rapids, Michigan at 11:00 a.m. local time. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport received the 1st doses by a truck from Pfizer’s headquarters in Portage at 9:45 a.m. local time. Right after the truck arrived, the crew on the airfield began to load the Airbus A300 carrying the vaccines. From there, it was a 90 minutes flight to Memphis.
“This is a big day for West Michigan and a historic milestone for the world that marks the beginning of the end to the global pandemic. The Ford Airport is honored to play a key role in ensuring the vaccine gets into the hands of healthcare professionals around the country. Our continuing investment in infrastructure has ensured we are able to meet the demands of the aggressive delivery schedule. We train and prepare for this all year long to ensure we are ready for whatever challenges come our way.”, said Torrance Richardson, President and CEO, Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority.
Once the flight arrived at Memphis, the vaccines were offloaded and the process began for the distribution of vaccines across the United States.
Memphis is a major hub for FedEx. The cargo airline flies hundreds of flights daily to destinations across the globe. Memphis is the busiest cargo hub in the United States and also the headquarter of FedEx is situated in Memphis, Tennessee.