Govt issues guidelines for transportation of Covid-19 vaccine by air

KEY STORY

• The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued the guidelines for the transportation and handling of the Covid-19 vaccines by airlines and airport operators. The Centre has also directed airlines to pack the vaccines in packets of dry ice.

• “Carriage of Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturing units to the place of administration gains significant importance especially in the light of the high expectations of the government(s), health care personnel and the general public. It is needless to say that amongst the various modes of transport, air transport is the most efficient option. Hence, it is imperative that air logistics provide a well-defined procedure that meets the global safety standards and requirements based on local conditions,” the circular issued by the DGCA noted.

• All scheduled operators who have been currently authorized to carry dangerous goods may carry Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice, meeting the regulatory requirements, the guidelines state.

  “Non-scheduled operators, including aircraft engaged in general aviation that are required to participate in the carriage of Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice, shall seek specific approval before commencing such operations. Compliance with ICAO Doc 9284 (Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air) is the responsibility of each operator,” it added.

• Elaborating on the need to package the vaccines with dry ice the DGCA noted that the temperature maintenance requirement for Covid-19 vaccines is reported to be varying from -8° C to -70° C and hence, the use of refrigerant material during the transportation becomes essential.

  “Though there may be different refrigerant options, use of dry ice (Carbon Dioxide Solid) is the most commonly used, affordable and readily available refrigerant material available in the country for transportation of perishables by air. Dry ice continually sublimates (dry ice that is solid, transforms into carbon dioxide gas (COz)) at temperatures higher than -78°C (-108.4O F)) under normal atmospheric pressure. At reduced pressures, the sublimation rate of dry ice will increase while all other factors being the same,” it noted.

CONCLUSION

• The DGCA said all operators while engaging in transportation of Covid-19 Vaccines packed with dry ice shall establish the maximum quantity of dry ice that can be loaded in a given cargo hold and/or compartment or in the main deck (passenger cabin) when a passenger version aircraft is deployed for all cargo operations.

  “This maximum quantity shall be based on the aircraft manufacturers’ information on maximum recommended dry ice quantities that the aircraft ventilation can support, depending on the sublimation rate and also the requirement of the operators’ Safety Management Systems,” it noted.