DHL Starts International COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

DHL, the leading global brand in the logistics industry starts the international distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.

For the provision of its citizens the government of Israel received the first batch of the vaccine with flights operated by DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding last week.

The first DHL Express aircraft touched down at the Ben-Gurion International Airport Tel Aviv last Wednesday morning and was received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

DHL Global Forwarding, the international freight specialist arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, also dedicated a charter flight for additional supplies of vaccine doses, which arrived at the Ben-Gurion airport on December 10, at 3.00 PM local time – with more to follow.

Travis Cobb, Head of Global Network Operations and Aviation at DHL Express said: “After numerous months of preparation we are happy that our mission of vaccine distribution has now started and we could contribute our logistics expertise and capabilities to make vaccine accessible worldwide.

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“The current crisis has shown how indispensable international logistics networks are for ensuring that societies have the necessary personal protective equipment and test kits to secure their health.

"Now we are embarking on the next step in our common fight against the coronavirus. Our teams across 220 countries and territories and our global network as the backbone of cross-border Express logistics is ready – to deliver anytime and anywhere."

In addition to the first flights to Israel, DHL is preparing to carry out further flights in December and beyond with vaccines from its worldwide operating hubs.

More than 9,000 specialists work across DHL’s dedicated global network.
DHL’s portfolio for the healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists, 20+ clinical trials depots, 100+ certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites and 135+ medical express sites.

With an aircraft fleet of more than 260 dedicated planes, numerous partner airlines and a hub and gateway network spanning more than 220 countries and territories DHL is optimally equipped and prepared for a worldwide supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

To provide global coverage of the next two years, up to 200,000 pallet shippers and 15 million cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required across the various supply chain setups.

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