Cathay Pacific Cargo said it is flying vital relief shipments to India and it stands ready to do more as the country faces a grave medical crisis with the onslaught of the second wave of the coronavirus.

In a statement, it said that although passenger flights have been suspended between Hong Kong and India, in the past few weeks Cathay Pacific Cargo has been operating freighters and cargo-only passenger flights, delivering to date more than 100 tonnes of much-needed humanitarian and medical supplies to some of India’s major centers.

These include shipments of specialized oxygen generators, oxygen concentrators, and ventilators to Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. In addition, there has been a sharp increase in volumes for shipments of oxygen, surgical masks, sanitizer, personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines over the past few weeks.

More cargo carrying flights to India

"We have been supporting efforts to relieve this current crisis in India through the delivery of medical supplies on our freighters and cargo-only passenger flights. We are noticing a sharp increase in the volume of inquiries from the Americas and closer to home from the Chinese mainland for space for humanitarian aid shipments to India, and we will do our best to accommodate these essential shipments," said Cathay Pacific general manager Cargo Commercial George Edmunds.

"As a consequence, we are looking to maximize capacity by adding more cargo-carrying flights and will continue to work with the Indian authorities to make this possible."

Cathay Pacific Cargo operated 24 pairs of cargo-only passenger flights to India in March and 29 in April to satisfy demand and supplement freighter operations.

It added that with its dedicated Boeing 747 freighter fleet, Cathay Pacific Cargo stands ready to support relief efforts with its capacity to deliver large humanitarian cargo shipments where they are needed and whenever they are required.