Turkish Cargo flies 100M COVID-19 vaccine doses around world
Containers carrying Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (IFA) to manufacture CoronaVac vaccines, are unloaded from a Turkish Cargo plane at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 19, 2021. (AFP Photo)


A subsidiary of the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, Turkish Cargo has delivered 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to more than 35 countries around the world with over 250 flights since the outbreak hit, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Despite the shrinking sector during the pandemic, the global air cargo brand has been completing an important mission for vaccine transportation, the company noted.

By transporting vaccines to key destinations such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Rome, Serbia, Copenhagen, Miami, Sao Paulo and Mexico, Turkish Cargo created a global corridor between more than 400 destinations.

"As the pandemic poses an unprecedented threat to human health, our Turkish Cargo brand has a significant advantage when it comes to combating this threat," said Ilker Aycı, Turkish Airlines' CEO.

Turkish Cargo is able to carry vaccines to more than 100 countries with its international air bridge, Aycı stressed.

"With its successful operations, we boosted our global market share to 7.5% in pharmaceutical transportation and became one of the most active carriers in vaccine transportation," he said.

Prioritizing medical transportation during the pandemic, Turkish Cargo enhanced its capacity of cold air depots while ramping up its active and passive container capacity.

Turkish Cargo reaches over 320 destinations – including nearly 100 direct cargo destinations – with a fleet of 371 aircraft.

It is the fastest-growing and developing air cargo brand in the world, aiming to become one of the world's top five air cargo brands by 2023.