GMR Hyderabad International Airport and GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GMR-HYD) have joined hands with Dubai Airports to build an exclusive vaccine air freight corridor product called HYDXB-VAXCOR (Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the same was signed by Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Saurabh Kumar, CEO-GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo, and Eugene Barry, EVP-Commercial, Dubai Airports Corporation in a virtual ceremony organised last week.
The agreement aims to offer customised, simplified processes and infrastructural support to streamline the delivery of Covid-19 vaccine right from the manufacturing unit to the airport and hub logistics to end-customers.
As part of this project, Dubai Airports has identified GMR-HYD as a key strategic air cargo partner to leverage its global distribution eco-system. Likewise, GMR-HYD will leverage Dubai Airports as a key strategic collaborator towards facilitating the global vaccine supply chain which will involve value-added services for vaccine exporters and importers from both countries.
Pradeep Panicker said:
“GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo has always been the preferred gateway for India’s vaccine exports. In the current global context, there is a need for meticulous planning and collaborations to ensure safe and efficient air transportation of Covid-19 vaccines.
“Accordingly, we have partnered with Dubai Airports to jointly offer “HYDXB-VAXCOR” for global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. We are also significantly upgrading our handling capacities for Covid-19 vaccine shipments requiring cold to ultra-cold temperature ranges and becoming India’s largest air cargo centre both for export/imports and domestic distribution of the vaccine.”
Further elaborating on this alliance, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said:
“Our partnership with GMR-Hyderabad is timed perfectly just as the global race to develop the vaccines enters the final stage. This corridor is the result of our proactive strategy to be ready with innovative, collaborative, and agile shipping solutions for the industry.”
