Delhi Airport's Cargo Terminal Puts in Place a Cold Chain Network to Handle COVID-19 Vaccine

Dec. 16—Cargo terminals equipped with special temperature controlled areas, sufficient availability of cool dollies on the airside (where an aircraft lands), and dedicated loading areas along with entry and exit gates for smooth flow of vehicles — the authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) said they are all set to receive, store and transport the Covid-19 vaccines as soon as they become available in India.

Officials aware of the development told Hindustan Times that the Delhi airport's two integrated cargo terminals, which have an annual cargo handling capacity of 1.8 million metric tonnes, have been equipped with temperature-controlled chambers that can maintain temperatures from 25°C to -20°C. This will help in storing the vaccines at the optimum temperature at the airport, for further transport to other parts of the country, said one of the officials, on condition of anonymity.

Further, both cargo terminals have been provided with an adequate number of charging points to handle these temperature-controlled containers.

The official quoted above said that they have cooled dollies — specifically designed containers with a closed temperature controlled system — for the movement of the temperature sensitive vaccines to the special chambers at the terminals for storage as soon as they arrive on the airside. The same dollies will be used to load the vaccines onto an aircraft for further transport to other parts of the country. "This will ensure an unbroken cold chain, which will be maintained at all times," the official said.

Delhi airport has also set up a dedicated "transshipment excellence centre", spread over an area of 6,500 square metres on the airside, for convenient and efficient movement of transshipment cargo. "This facility will help in fast movement of vaccines through transshipment," a second official said.

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In order to ensure the seamless transportation of the vaccine out of the airport by road, separate dedicated gates have been set up at the cargo terminals for fast movement of vehicles carrying the Covid-19 vaccines. "There is a truck slot management system at the cargo terminals, where a pre-booking facility will be available for trucks to make the process smooth. The newly launched "QR code-based e-gate pass facility" for delivery of vaccines will also be in use, thereby making the documentation process automated, and reducing human interface," the second official added.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs IGIA, said because the airport has the best air connectivity to other parts of the country, it will play a critical role as a transshipment hub. "We are also working with other stakeholders in the supply chain, including pharma companies, airlines, temperature controlled facility suppliers and with the temperature controlled transport service providers, to ensure an efficient, reliable and uninterrupted service to the people of India," a DIAL spokesperson said.

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