Union Minister Puri lauds aviation professionals for transporting 591 tonnes of essentials

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday applauded the aviation personnel and stakeholders for facilitating the supply of medical and essential commodities to citizens across the country amid COVID-19 lockdown under the 'Lifeline Udan' initiative.

 A statement from the Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday said: "Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, appreciated aviation professionals and stakeholders for their commendable efforts during COVID-19 crisis by making life-saving essential commodities available to citizens under Lifeline Udan."

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Taking to Twitter, Puri informed that till date, 347 flights operated under Lifeline Udan have transported 591 tonnes of cargo across the country.

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Flights that transported vitals during the lockdown

As per the statement, Vistara has operated seven cargo flights from April 19 to 23, covering 8,989 km and carrying around 20 tonnes of cargo. Similarly, SpiceJet has operated 522 cargo flights between March 24 and April 23, covering 7,94,846 km and carrying 3993 tonnes of cargo.

In addition, BlueDart operated 184 cargo flights covering 1,87,155 km and carrying 2,957 tonnes of cargo from March 25 to April 23. Out of these, six were international flights. IndiGo has operated 37 cargo flights from April 3 to 23, covering 48,344 km and carrying around 101 tonnes of cargo, including eight international flights. This includes medical supplies carried free of cost for the government, added the statement.

In the international sector, Air India brought 61 tonnes of medical cargo on April 23 from Hongkong and Guangzhou. Further, BlueDart has carried nearly 86 tonnes of medical supplies from Guangzhou from April 14 to April 23.

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(With inputs from ANI)