Govt issues guidelines for transportation of Covid-19 vaccine by air

Centre on Friday issued guidelines for the packaging and transportation of the Covid-19 vaccines by air directing airlines and airport authorities to ensure the vaccines are packaged in dry ice and refrigerated material in a bid to maintain low temperatures ranging between -8° C to -70° C essential for its transportation.

The guidelines issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) state all scheduled operators who have been currently authorized to carry dangerous goods may carry Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice, meeting the regulatory requirements, the guidelines reviewed by HT state.

The civil aviation ministry on Friday held a round of meetings with airlines executives and airport authorities to finalise the logistics needed for the transportation of the Covid-19 vaccines.

“All arrangements have been made at airports for the transportation who are on standby and are ready to carry the consignment as and when the orders are placed,” a senior official said.

The aviation ministry had directed all airlines in December to begin preparations and had instructed airport operators, including state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI), ground handling service providers and airlines to put in place standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the transportation of Covid-19 vaccines that will be approved by the government.

“Carriage of Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturing units to the place of administration gains significant importance especially in the light of the high expectations of the government(s), health care personnel and the general public. It is needless to say that amongst the various modes of transport, air transport is the most efficient option. Hence, it is imperative that air logistics provide a well-defined procedure that meets the global safety standards and requirements based on local conditions,” the DGCA noted.

“Non-scheduled operators including aircraft engaged in general aviation that are required to participate in the carriage of Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice shall seek specific approval before commencing such operations. Compliance with ICAO Doc 9284 (Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air) is the responsibility of each operator,” it added.

Elaborating on the need to package the vaccines with dry ice the DGCA noted that the temperature maintenance requirement for Covid-19 vaccines is reported to be varying from -8° C to -70° C and hence, the use of refrigerant material during the transportation becomes essential.

“Though there may be different refrigerant options, use of dry ice (Carbon Dioxide Solid) is the most commonly used, affordable and readily available refrigerant material available in the country for transportation of perishables by air. Dry ice continually sublimates (Dry ice that is solid, transforms into Carbon Dioxide gas (COz)) at temperatures higher than -78°C (-108.4O F) under normal atmospheric pressure. At reduced pressures, the sublimation rate of dry ice will increase while all other factors being the same,” it noted.

The DGCA said all operators while engaging in transportation of Covid-19 vaccines packed with dry ice shall establish the maximum quantity of dry ice that can be loaded in a given cargo hold and/ or compartment or in the main deck (passenger cabin) when a passenger version aircraft is deployed for all cargo operations.

“This maximum quantity shall be based on the aircraft manufacturers’ information on maximum recommended dry ice quantities that the aircraft ventilation can support, depending on the sublimation rate and also the requirements of the operators’ Safety Management Systems,” it noted.

Transportation

The guidelines state vaccines packed in dry ice should preferably be transported in lower-deck of the cargo compartments of the planes, however in case the operators desires to carry vaccines packed in dry ice in the passenger cabin area the operators will have to ensure that the occupants on board are limited to the flight crew while other passengers should not be allowed.

“The operator should take all necessary steps to ensure that the flight crew is not harmed by carbon dioxide incapacitation or intoxication. Flight crew should be properly trained on the hazards and risks of transporting dry ice and on the procedures related to the operation. Any other occupants on-board should only be allowed if required under demonstrated urgent operational needs (e.g., additional flight crew for the return flight or additional persons needed for the cargo handling),” it said.

Occupants, that are not considered flight crew, should be protected against a potential CO2 intoxication by the following means: Have access during all phases of flight to approved supplemental oxygen equipment ready to be used. Have been properly trained on the use of oxygen equipment,” it added.

Adequate number of CO2 detectors should be available in the cabin, it noted.

For the transport of vaccines in dry ice in excess of the limit specified in the operations manual or other applicable aircraft manufacturer documents, the operator should perform a specific risk assessment. The risk assessment should ensure that all relevant technical and operational aspects have been taken into account, it noted.

Ventilation pressurisation system

For aircraft dispatch, the air conditioning, air supply and the distribution/ventilation system should use configurations recommended by the manufacturer, DGCA stated.

“The operator’s standard operating procedures should also include lowering of temperature in the cargo compartment as much as possible to minimise the sublimation rate of dry ice.

To mitigate the risk of higher concentrations of CO2, the ventilation and pressurisation system shall be fully operational, i.e. all air-conditioning packs should be running at all times,” it noted.

“In case of partial failure of the ventilation system in flight, the situation has to be carefully evaluated in order to decide if the flight may continue to destination. The OEM guidance should account for a single next critical failure to enable continuation of the flight, while total failure of the ventilation system in flight should lead to an immediate diversion to the nearest suitable airport,” it added.

For aircraft dispatch the crew oxygen systems should be fully operative, it noted. “It is recommended to use the cargo compartment that is located next to the outflow valve, in order to effectively ensure that even in the case of partial or complete failure of the ventilation and pressurization system during flight, the CO2 will be ventilated overboard,” DGCA said.

Packaging and handling

The operators have to ensure that the shipments containing Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice shall be accepted and handled by appropriately trained personnel only. Operators will also have to prepare a ‘Dos & Don’t’ guidance and circulate among those handling personnel the specific requirements that may be applicable for handling shipments containing Covid-19 vaccines.

“Adequate precautions need to be taken at the end of a flight, as compartments

or a Unit Load Device containing dry ice will tend to have high concentration of CO2 and also the area immediately outside the door experiences high concentration of CO2 for several minutes,” it noted.

Operators also have to ensure that each package containing Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice is clearly marked —’ Dry ice or Carvon Dioxide Solid .’ Operators also have to inform the Pilot-in-command in writing of the quantity of dry ice loaded including loading locations.

“In line with our business model and cost leadership strategy, we are happy to evaluate the shipment of the Covid-19 vaccines onboard our aircraft and will promise to contribute to the best of our abilities,” a spokesperson for Indigo said.

Aviation ministry secretary Pardeep Kharola had last week said the SOPs will be drafted in coordination with the ministry of health and the department of pharmaceuticals, which will be spearheading the formation of a multi-mode cold chain that will ensure the refrigerated production, transport, storage and distribution of the vaccines.

India’s vaccine roll-out is set to begin by next week. Civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri had last month said that the Centre aims to inoculate at least 300 million people until July 2021 for which at least 600 million doses will be required.