Antonov Airlines has transported 70 tonnes of oxygen concentrators from Tel Aviv to Delhi for its Indian general sales agent Flywell Aviation and supply chain service provider Delhivery. The 2,500 concentrators were loaded onboard one of Antonov Airline’s seven AN-124-100 aircraft with a payload of up to 150 tonnes.

“Our AN-124-100 aircraft provided rapid loading and unloading of this urgent cargo with its ramp access and large cargo capacity”, says Andriy Blagovisniy, Commercial Director, Antonov Airlines. The journey from Tel Aviv included a technical stop in Dubai for refuelling.

Oxygen concentrators work by collecting and filtering the surrounding air to produce up to 95% pure oxygen, which can then be administered to patients by nasal cannulas or oxygen masks. Coronavirus cases in India are at their highest levels to date and there is a severe shortage of oxygen for patients.

Ukraine-headquartered Antonov Airlines cargo airline operates seven AN-124-100 “Ruslan” aircraft with payloads up to 150 tonnes, a 60-tonne payload AN-22, the unique 250-tonne payload AN-225 “Mriya”, which is the largest aircraft in the world, and smaller AN-74 and AN-26 aircraft.