As part of the White House initiative to share at least 80 million doses of American vaccines around the world this summer, American Airlines transported 1.5 million doses of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to La Aurora International Airport (GUA), in Guatemala City on a Boeing 777-200.
In close cooperation with the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the American’s Cargo team worked with pharmaceutical partners and logistics specialists to move vaccine shipments from a distribution site in Kentucky to American’s cargo terminal at ORD. The cargo was transported on a Boeing 777-200, on a special non-stop all-cargo flight to GUA, donated by American Airlines.
«We congratulate President Biden and the White House for their commitment to distribute life-saving vaccines to people around the world to end the COVID-19 pandemic, and our team is proud to participate in the effort to deliver vaccines to Guatemala.» said American Airlines President, Robert Isom. «We thank our team for the work they have done during the pandemic to keep the country moving and deliver vital supplies.»
American moved its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. Since the beginning of the pandemic, American has beefed up its internationally recognized climate-controlled shipping solutions to operate more than 9,400 exclusive cargo flights, moving everything from vaccines and pharmaceuticals to perishable and agricultural products.
With specialized facilities and a team of certified biological science experts, American handles critical temperature shipments in more than 150 cities in 46 countries, and
operates the facility for shipments of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical products to the largest airlines in the United States.
This level of care has earned American the certification from the prestigious Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) from the International Air Transport Association, the main recognition for airlines that have established the tools, procedures and personnel to ensure that biological science products are handled properly and arrive at their destination in perfect conditions.