United Airlines Starts Charter Flights to Transport COVID-19 Vaccine

United Airlines on Friday kicked off the first of its charter flights earmarked to help transport a COVID-19 vaccine ahead of distribution.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, United started initial flights with potential doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine with the goal of getting it ready for potential distribution once the biotech company secures FDA approval.

Other reports, including one from NBC News, had the initial United distribution flights going from Brussels to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and landing on Friday afternoon, with several other flights planned for other areas of the country ahead of a mass distribution plan.

The flights were made with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“As a result of the historic pace of vaccine development through Operation Warp Speed and careful logistics planning, the FAA is supporting the first mass air shipment of a vaccine,” the FAA said in a statement.

The operation is a massive undertaking for the FAA and for the industry. According to the FAA, planning for the distribution started in October. Several of the vaccines, including Pfizer’s, require dry ice to safely transport it to distribution centers, and United, along with other carriers preparing to also aid in the effort, had to make plans to accommodate it onboard.

The charter flights are expected to continue ahead of vaccine distribution. While no vaccine is yet approved, both Pfizer, which applied for emergency use authorization (EUA) for its vaccine on Nov. 20, and Moderna, which announced on Monday that it joined Pfizer in applying for an EUA for its vaccine, are hoping to be able to start distribution right away once the FDA gives approval for the vaccines.

Approval for the vaccines could take place during an advisory committee that the FDA right now has scheduled for Dec. 10. If that is granted, distribution of more than 6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine could start in mid-December

Both Pfizer and Moderna have released data from clinical trials that show both have an efficacy rate of around 95%.