The Delhi Airport remained functional during the COVID-19 lockdown and handled more than 20 million pieces of essential medical supplies from April to June, the GMR group said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the GMR group, these imported medical kits were distributed across the country. “During April to June 2020, the first quarter of the financial year, more than 20 million pieces of essential medical supplies, the largest volume of essential medical supplies handled by any airport in India, has been handled by Delhi Airport,” the statement said. The airport was able to handle the medical essentials after dedicated teams operated 24X7 at its cargo terminals to set up a 3,800 sqm facility within a record time of 7 days. “Innovative procedures were adopted to store these medical import cargos in separate export zones while strictly following the norms of the Government of India of social distancing, sanitisation and safety,” the statement said. “In addition to essential medical supplies, Delhi Airport also acted as a hub in supporting the Government of India’s flagship initiative ‘KRISHI UDAN’ in the current challenging time by transporting agricultural products to international and domestic markets,” it added. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said that the airport worked relentlessly for timely and smooth supply of medical equipment and relief material to and from Delhi to various destinations in India. “In this challenging time, DIAL has played a very crucial role in the fight against COVID-19 by round the clock handling of international and domestic cargo movement. We ensured that essential medical kits reached not only in the big cities but in far-flung destinations of the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and all its stakeholders, DIAL is committed to serving this great nation,” Jaipuriar said in the statement. Notably, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had earlier designated Delhi Airport as a hub for import and distribution of essential medical supplies for fight against COVID-19.
