Earlier this month, a third special charter flight of medical equipment took off from China and landed in Bratislava, Slovakia, following two similar consignments on April 1 and March 31 organised by GEFCO Air & Sea for PENTA. This latest shipment to support the global COVID-19 effort included 200,000 respiratory masks, 100,000 COVID-19 tests, 800,000 face masks, 250,000 gloves, 20,200 protective glasses, 20,196 protective suits and 8,160 thermometers.

Immediately after unloading the aircraft, GEFCO ensured complete material sorting and palletisation for further distribution in PENTA’s network of Dr. Max pharmacies and Svet Zdravia hospitals.

Commenting on the successful charter, Ladislav Balogh,GEFCO’s Air & Sea Manager said: “Logistics flows have completely changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we have previously provided transportation for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, their share in our portfolio has sharply increased in recent weeks.

“Nowadays we carry out a high percentage of shipments in urgent mode and this experience has made our team even more flexible than ever. Although we have experienced professionals available for these shipments 24/7, securing each air transport is a big challenge due to the very limited capacity available currently.”