1,349 items of aid will depart on a B777-200 specially chartered by British Airways, supported by volunteers from the airline to ensure life-saving supplies reach the country as soon as possible

IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), and its sister company British Airways will operate a relief flight to India transporting 27 tonnes of medical aid as the humanitarian crisis in the country worsens. The B777-200 will be loaded with emergency aid to Delhi to support the Indian government as the country continues to battle rising Coronavirus cases, with dwindling oxygen supplies.

A special project team was formed to organise the flight, which is due to leave London Heathrow on Wednesday May 5 at 5pm (BA257F), landing in Delhi at 5.45am (local time) on Thursday May 6, loaded with more than a thousand items from the High Commission of India and charities including Khalsa Aid International and the largest Hindu Temple outside India, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, in Neasden.

The load includes hundreds of urgent life-saving oxygen cylinders and shipments of oxygen concentrators, respirators and blood oxygen saturation monitors. British Airways is also donating care packages for families in need.

While IAG Cargo and British Airways have maintained a vital air link between London and India throughout the pandemic, sending aid items on scheduled flights, this air lift is a special charter, fully funded by the two companies.

John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer at IAG Cargo said: “We have all seen the terrible scenes in India of the deepening humanitarian crisis that has impacted the lives of many of our people and our customers. Thank you to the team at IAG Cargo, British Airways and all the charities involved in this project – without their support this special mission providing essential relief to communities in India would not have been possible.”