Five Qatar Airways Cargo freighters, two Boeing 747Fs and three Boeing 777Fs, have departed to China, 21 February, carrying around 300 tonnes of medical supplies that have been donated by the airline to support Coronavirus relief efforts. The flights which are headed to Beijing, Shangahi and Guangzhou, are part of the airlines voluntary offer of free air cargo transportation for medical relief to combat the virus emergency.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “When this crisis began, we knew we had to contribute to support our friends in China. As one of the leading air cargo carriers in the world, we are in a unique position where wae re able to provide immediate humanitarian support through the provision of aircraft and donating medical supplies as well as coordinating logistical arrangements.”

Amongst other supplies, Qatar have donated 2,500,000 face masks and 500,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. This donation follows one form 2 February which saw 100,000 medical-grade N95 respiratory masks and 2,700 medical-grade disposable latex gloves transported to Hubei province China, the epicentre of the virus.