British Airways is adding eight additional flights per week from China carrying cargo including PPE equipment and ventilators for the NHS.
The national flag carrier is to operate 21 flights per week from China as of May 14, each carrying up to 770 tonnes.
Cargo is being shipped in a joint effort between British Airways, its sister company IAG Cargo, the UK Government and the British Embassy in Beijing.
Fourteen of the weekly flights will depart from Shanghai, and seven from Beijing with some cargo carried in the aircraft cabin. Medical equipment will be delivered to NHS hospitals all over the UK.
In April, the airline has operated 13 cargo-only flights from China to the UK carrying NHS supplies.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and chief executive, said: “As an airline we are in a unique position to help in the global response to Covid-19, whether it is through carrying UK residents back home, transporting vital cargo back to the NHS, or through our colleagues who are offering their skills to volunteer. We’re proud to be playing our part, and I’m grateful to everyone who is working to make these flights happen in these difficult times.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “These flights will help us deliver essential equipment to the NHS and for others who are working on the front line.”
