UPS is managing and brokering 25 charter flights in support of Project Airbridge, a coordinated effort between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), numerous countries and the private sector designed to expedite the arrival of critical supplies needed in U.S. hospitals.
The first charter flights have already arrived and will continue for the next two weeks carrying more than three million pounds of medical supplies.
UPS chairman and CEO, David Abney says, “In addition to managing and brokering air freight flights, UPS is ramping up around-the-clock operations to provide receipt of PPE and kitting for distribution to hospitals and hot spots around the country. We are bringing the full power of our integrated global logistics network to bear to assist FEMA in the pandemic fight.”
UPS’s Healthcare division opened a new 450,000 square-foot healthcare distribution center on April 4, with dedicated space for FEMA. The facility is located just a few miles from UPS Worldport, the company’s automated global air hub, in Louisville, KY. With that proximity, UPS can quickly fulfill orders for delivery overnight, anywhere in the U.S.