A flight from China carrying more than €20m of protective equipment for healthcare workers is due to land in Ireland later.
The Aer Lingus Airbus A330 is scheduled to touch down at Dublin Airport shortly after 3pm on 29 March.
It is the first of a series of flights the Irish carrier will make to bring consignments of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Beijing.
🇮🇪Amb Eoin O’Leary thanking Mr MU Hong, GM of 🇨🇳 Resources Group as vital Personal Protection Equipment 😷 are crated up for our friends in @AerLingus ✈️ for delivery to front line health service staff 👨🏼⚕️👩🏻⚕️all over Ireland pic.twitter.com/6UjjFSMMLS
— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) March 28, 2020
Ten more trips are planned in the coming days.
The crew, which was not allowed to disembark in China, volunteered to take part in the PPE collection missions
The Irish Government is spending more than 200 million euro on PPE from China to help fight the coronavirus outbreak.
First @AerLingus cargo flight for PPE scheduled to leave Dublin on Sat morning, arrive in Beijing early Sun, land at Dublin airport late Sunday.
Sail safe! We have got your back.🇮🇪🇨🇳
@HSELive @paulreiddublin @dfatirl @MartinDShanahan pic.twitter.com/si0xNMrUJE
— Chinese Embassy in Ireland (@ChinaEmbIreland) March 27, 2020
Ireland has increased its normal €15m euro annual outlay on PPE to €225m to cope with the demand due to Covid-19.
The Northern Ireland Executive is also securing PPE from China as part of a joint order with Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE).
The first flight has attracted much public attention, with officials from both China and Ireland providing regular Twitter updates on its progress.
#EI9019 departed Beijing safely at 0416 IST and is now homeward bound to Dublin with vital PPE supplies for the country. Currently tracking north of Kazakhstan at 420, flight level 380. ETA Dublin 1506 #COVID19ireland #irishaviation pic.twitter.com/VSeahcXXpG
— IAA (@IAApress) March 29, 2020
Health minister Simon Harris said the consignment would include face masks, face shields, goggles and gowns.
“We are doing everything that is humanly possible to secure as much personal protective equipment as we can,” he said.
“I want to thank the crew, I want to thank the airline, I want to thank the HSE, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese authorities – everyone who has worked so hard to get this.
“There is a shortage of personal protective equipment right throughout the world.”
