Alibaba has entered into a partnership through logistics arm, Cainiao, over a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines to introduce a cold chain capable of transporting temperature-sensitive medicines from China.
In the partnership the air freight will depart from Shenzhen Airport, which Alibaba says houses China’s first cross-border medical cold chain facility, twice a week to countries via Dubai and Addis Ababa.
A Cainiao spokesperson told TechCrunch that “as soon as the vaccines are ready, we will have the capabilities to transport them.”
“The route is carried out by Cainiao, which operates in more than 200 countries and regions. It’s certified by the International Air Transport Association to fly COVID-19 vaccines, which normally need to be stored at low temperatures.”
“Cabins will contain temperature-controlled monitors, for instance, and Ethiopia’s cargo terminal comes with facilities that can be adjusted between -23°C and 25°C, or -9.4°F and 77°F,” Tech Crunch reported.
In Africa, Egypt has received its first shipment of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, which was tested in the United Arab Emirates and is said to be 86% effective.
