On Tuesday (December 8th), the flag carrier, Korean Air transported about 800kg of corona vaccine raw materials, including containers and dry ice, by KE925 flight from Incheon to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Vaccine raw materials transported by Korean Air were produced by domestic companies and shipped to the final destination, a vaccine production plant in Europe, in a frozen state below -60℃.

Corona vaccine requires a variety of temperature customized transportation, such as cryogenic temperatures below -60°C, freezing below -20°C, and maintaining refrigeration at 2-8°C, depending on the characteristics of each product, and 'cold chain'. The raw material for the corona vaccine transported by Korean Air required cryogenic transportation below -60℃, and for this purpose, it was mounted in a special container dedicated to transporting medicines. This special container uses 208kg of dry ice, and it can maintain the condition below -60℃ for 120 hours without a separate power supply.

Korean Air has formed a Corona Vaccine Transportation Task Force team composed of experts in cargo sales and special cargo transportation since September to check the storage temperature according to the type of vaccine, analyze and secure necessary equipment and facilities for transportation, and start/arrival/transfer vaccines. It has been preparing for the cryogenic transport of the corona vaccine by checking necessary facilities at the branch and expanding the dedicated space.

In particular, dry ice used for refrigeration transport is strictly limited in the total amount that can be loaded for each aircraft type. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and Korean Air have carefully reviewed the technical data with aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, and re-checked and adjusted the dry ice loading standards for each model with preemptive cooperation and support measures from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to increase the amount of vaccine transport per aircraft.

Korean Air acquired the international standard certification (CEIV Pharma) from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) last June, proving the air transport expertise and excellence of pharmaceuticals including corona vaccines, based on differentiated special cargo transport know-how and global network. It has played a leading role in the transportation of medical supplies and protective materials. In particular, we are transporting domestic corona diagnostic kits around the world, and by removing seats in passenger planes and passenger planes for cargo use, we are continuously securing additional supplies for the transportation of such medical and quarantine supplies.

In preparation for the corona vaccine transport, which is expected to increase rapidly in the future, Korean Air will secure necessary aircraft schedules and supplies in advance, and will thoroughly prepare to provide the best service in the entire cold chain logistics process.