United reportedly begins operating COVID-19 vaccine shipment flights

United Airlines on Friday began operating charter flights carrying the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech to expedite its distribution should it receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks, two people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reviewed a letter from the Federal Aviation Administration detailing United's plans to fly chartered flights between Brussels International Airport — Pfizer has a final-assembly center in Puurs, Belgium — and Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and the FAA said in a statement Friday it was supporting the "first mass air shipment of a vaccine."

The agency said it will also allow United to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice per flight, five times more than what is normally permitted, to ensure the low storage temperature required for Pfizer's vaccine is maintained throughout the flights. The dry ice will be packed inside suitcase-sized boxes containing the vaccine. Per The Hill, the FAA said air traffic services will prioritize flights carrying vaccine cargo.

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The flights are just one aspect of Pfizer's distribution, the Journal notes. The company also includes refrigerated storage sites in Puurs and Kalamazoo, Michigan, as well as expanded storage capacity at distribution sites in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and Karlsruhe, Germany. There will reportedly be dozens of cargo flights and hundreds of truck trips each day. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.