United Airlines on Friday began operating charter flights to move shipments of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccination ahead of a mass inoculation program expected to begin in late December, according to a report.
The flights are the first step in a global supply and distribution network, which is being prepared to spring into action when the vaccine is approved by regulators.
The airline has been granted special permission by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to fly with increased quantities of dry ice, to keep the vaccine cold.
Pfizer's vaccination must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
The specific chartered routes being flown were not specified by the Wall Street Journal, which reported the news.
But it was revealed that United intends on flying cargo flights between the Belgian capital, Brussels, and Chicago's O'Hare airport to support distribution of the vaccine, according to a November 24 letter from the FAA viewed by the Journal.
Brussels and Chicago are both convenient international airports for Pfizer's plants in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Puurs, Belgium, where the final assembly of the vaccine takes place.
Chicago is also close to Pfizer's distribution site in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, which is being expanded in preparation for the vaccine roll out.
The company has another distribution site in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Pfizer also plans dozens of cargo flights and hundreds of truck trips each day once approval is given by authorities.
The FAA said in a statement on Friday that it was supporting the 'first mass air shipment of a vaccine,' and that it is working with airlines to safely transport COVID-19 vaccines.
United had asked the FAA to be allowed to carry more dry ice than is typically allowed on flights, in a bid to keep the vaccine cool.
The FAA said it would allow United to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice per flight, which is five times more than normally allowed - dry ice is controlled on passenger planes because of concerns about leaks of carbon dioxide, which may not be detected mid air.
Pfizer have created suitcase-size boxes packed with dry ice to keep its vaccine doses cold, the paper reported.
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