The world’s largest cargo plane, carrying three 18-tonne oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators, took off from Belfast in Northern Ireland on Friday, according to the British government, as part of the UK’s latest response to India’s COVID-19 crisis.
Airport staff worked through the night to load the life-saving kit onto the massive Antonov 124 aircraft, which is expected to land in Delhi at 0800 IST on Sunday morning, after which the Indian Red Cross will help transfer them to hospitals, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which funded the supplies.
Each of the three oxygen generation units, which are the size of 40-foot freight containers, produces 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough to provide oxygen to 50 people at once.
“The UK is sending surplus oxygen generators from Northern Ireland to India. This life-saving equipment will support the country’s hospitals as they care for vulnerable COVID patients,” said UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
“The UK and India are working together to tackle this pandemic. No-one is safe until we are all safe,” he said.
The latest shipment follows 200 ventilators and 495 oxygen concentrators sent from the United Kingdom to India last month, which were also funded by the FCDO. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sourced the assistance package, and Northern Ireland’s health service’s offer is in addition to the DHSC’s 1,000 ventilators.
“The situation in India is heart-breaking and we stand side by side with our friends as they face this immense challenge,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“As we battle this global pandemic together, the vital equipment we are providing, including ventilators and oxygen generators, will help save lives and support India’s healthcare system. As one United Kingdom we will continue to do all we can to help the Indian health authorities turn the tide on this dreadful virus,” he said.
Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, Robin Swann, was at Belfast International Airport to witness the loading of his department’s surplus oxygen generators onto the massive cargo plane.
