TWO of the country’s major airlines, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific (CEB), continue to be part of its historic vaccination rollout by transporting vaccine doses to various areas.
As of this writing, flag carrier PAL has transported 145,520 vaccine doses to various parts of the country.
“PAL continues to be of service to the nation by doing its share towards healing and recovery,” it said in a statement on Friday, March 5, 2021.
On March 2, PAL flew 12,000 doses to Davao via PR8809 and 7,200 doses to Cebu via PR1845 while on March 4, it flew 17,400 doses to Cagayan de Oro (PR2519), 21,600 doses to Davao (PR8811), 12,000 doses to Legazpi (PR2923) and 4,200 doses to Cotabato (PR2959).
On March 5, the airline carried 10,580 doses to Iloilo (PR2141), 17,480 doses to Cebu (PR1845), 6,600 doses to Bacolod (PR2129), 17,940 doses to Cotabato (PR2959), 8,940 doses to Butuan (PR2934), 2,680 doses to Tagbilaran (PR2773) and 6,900 doses to Tacloban (PR2983).
On the other hand, CEB had flown a total of 21,000 doses on Friday in the first Covid-19 vaccine shipment to Zamboanga and Tuguegarao.
The vaccines arrived at the CEB Cargo warehouse in Manila at around 10:30 p.m. on March 4, Thursday. After its standard screening protocols, all 35 boxes (17 for Zamboanga, 18 for Tuguegarao) were stored in a 20-footer refrigerated carrier reefer van, equipped with cooling systems, to preserve the condition of the vaccines.
A total of 21,000 doses were carried by CebGo, the operator of Cebu Pacific’s turboprop fleet.
“We are happy to support the rollout of the government’s vaccination program. As a public service with the widest domestic network, we will do all we can to help ensure the timely and successful distribution of vaccines across the country, as we all work together to pave the way for the recovery of our economy,” Alex Reyes, president and chief executive officer of Cebgo, said in a statement.
CEB currently has two ATR freighters in its 73-strong fleet, allowing it to boost inter-island connectivity by flying to and from domestic destinations with shorter runways. It also recently converted one of its A330s into a freighter, enabling it to carry more cargo in its cabin on long-range flights. (JOB)