As many as 3.5 million items of personal protective equipment has been flown in to the UK from China on special Virgin Atlantic cargo flights.
The airline is operating another 26-hour return trip between Heathrow and Shanghai, with the flight due to arrive back from China on Tuesday afternoon.
Stowed on board are tonnes of medical supplies and PPE in the cargo hold of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and on the seats in the cabin, following special dispensation from the Civil Aviation Authority.
The freight-only flights have been chartered by the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS.
Manned by seven pilots and four cabin crew, who rotate duties and rest time, each flight carries an average of 16 tonnes of essential items.
More than 80 tonnes of medical supplies and PPE have been transported since the first charter on April 3, including 50 ventilators, 1.8 million face masks, 600,000 face shields and visors, one million disposable gloves, 38,000 items for eye protection, and 75,000 protective coveralls and isolation gowns.
The emergence of Covid-19 has led to Virgin Atlantic operating cargo-only flights, a first for the airline since its launch in 1984.
Special exemptions from government-imposed travel restrictions for pilots and cabin crew mean that cargo operations can continue, ensuring the airline can continue to support vital supply chains across the globe.
Virgin Atlantic’s first cargo-only flight, from Heathrow to New York, took place only a month ago.
Virgin Atlantic Cargo managing director Dominic Kennedy said: “Working closely with the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care, Virgin Atlantic is transporting over 100 tonnes of crucial medical supplies and PPE in to the UK on special cargo charter flights from Shanghai this month, through Heathrow airport.
“Special dispensation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) means that we can store cargo in the cabin as well as the cargo hold, ensuring even more essential medical supplies can reach the UK this week and be distributed by the NHS to frontline staff.”