Airbus is continuing its initiative of purchasing and supplying millions of face masks from China, the large majority of which will be donated to the governments of Airbus’s home countries of France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
On Sunday 5th April an Airbus flight test crew completed its latest supply mission with an A350-1000 test aircraft – the third such mission between Europe and China. The aircraft returned to France with a cargo of four million face masks.
The A350-1000 left Toulouse, France, on Friday 3 April, reaching the Airbus site in Tianjin, China on 4 April and returning to Hamburg the same day.
Since mid-March, the previous two missions were performed by and A330-800, and A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). Airbus also deployed an A400M and its Beluga fleet to transport shipments of masks between its European sites, in France, Germany, the UK and Spain.
The A350-1000 being loaded with masks at Tianjin, China
“I would like to pay tribute to all the Airbus teams, globally, supporting the fight against Covid-19. They’re living our values in assisting those who are saving lives every day”, said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus.
Airbus is also deploying its employees’ expertise and know-how, and leveraging technology in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, for example in designing and manufacturing ventilators and 3D-printed visors for hospitals.
