Coronavirus response: Airlift brings urgent medical supplies to the Czech Republic
A cargo plane carrying several tons of urgent medical supplies from China, including vital respirators and facemasks, landed at Pardubice airport in the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening (30 March 2020) to help combat the coronavirus.
This was the third such transport flight from China to the Czech Republic in March under the NATO supported Strategic Airlift International Solution – or SALIS - which provides NATO countries participating in the programme with access to transport aircraft. The Czech Government had tasked the mission.
As on previous flights, special procedures were in place to ensure the safety of the aircrew, with no direct contact with ground crews allowed.
The Strategic Airlift International Solution provides NATO countries with guaranteed access to up to five Antonov AN-124 aircraft within days. Nine NATO Allies (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) participate in the programme, supported by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The aircraft is operated by Antonov Logistics SALIS from Leipzig/Halle airport.