A special Aerolíneas Argentinas flight picked up Argentina’s second shipment of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on January 15th at Sheremetyevo International Airport and returned to Buenos Aires.
The shipment of 300,000 doses of the world’s first coronavirus vaccine follows a previous shipment of 300,000 doses shipped to Argentina on December 24. More than 200,000 people have been vaccinated in Argentina with the Sputnik V vaccine.
The round-trip flight will take 40 hours in total, including time on the ground in Moscow, and has a crew of 20, including technical experts who are ensuring proper in-flight control and handling of the vaccine.
Argentina is the first country in Latin America to authorize the use of Sputnik V vaccine.
Transportation of Sputnik V requires special attention throughout the supply chain and must adhere to strict temperature requirements at all stages of transportation. It must be maintained at ultra-low temperatures and be held in specialized thermal containers and ice packs.
Moscow Cargo, Sheremetyevo’s cargo handler, met or exceeded all temperature, handling and storage requirements until the vaccine shipment was loaded onto the aircraft. Moscow Cargo has extensive experience in handling pharmaceuticals, including vaccines.
The Moscow Cargo terminal has 26 independent storage areas for cargoes classified as TTSP, or time & temperature sensitive products. All have individually adjustable temperature controls to maintain conditions from -20 to +25° C, as well as 60 thermocells in the automated PCHS (Pallet / Container Handling System) for storing unit load devices (ULDs) holding temperature-sensitive cargo.
