The first flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Bonaire and Aruba took place today with a transport of Covid-19 vaccines to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It is the first of several shipments to deliver vaccines to various islands in the coming weeks. The vaccines were loaded into the aircraft in the presence of Dutch Secretary of State for Health, Welfare and Sport Paul Blokhuis, head of healthcare in the Dutch Caribbean, and Pieter Elbers, CEO KLM.
The Air France KLM Martinair Cargo division manages over 80.000 pharmaceutical shipments annually and has many years of experience in transporting temperature-controlled medicines. Distribution of Covid-19 vaccines presents specific transportation and security challenges, and the division has developed a dedicated process to ensure rapid, reliable and safe distribution.
Each vaccine has its own temperature requirements: from +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, freezing at -20 degrees Celsius or between -70 and -80 degrees Celsius. It is vital that these temperatures are guaranteed throughout transport.
The boxes of Pfizer vaccine shipped to Bonaire and Aruba were filled with dry ice. This will maintain the right temperature for a few days, as long as the containers are stored in an environment that will have temperatures between +2 and +25 degrees Celsius. Upon arrival in Bonaire and Aruba, the vaccines will be stored in a suitable and thermally controlled environment.