24 March 2020

Covid-19: Spanish MoD drafts in A400M to deliver masks

by Gareth Jennings

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has utilised an Airbus-owned and operated A400M transport aircraft to deliver face masks to help combat the coronavirus.

‘Thousands’ of face masks were delivered by Airbus to the Spanish Ministry of Defence aboard an A400M transport aircraft on 23 March. (Airbus)

The airlift, which took place the day prior to Airbus’ announcement on 24 March, saw aircraft MSN56 fly “thousands” of masks from the company’s Toulouse headquarters in southern France to Getafe Air Base near Madrid, in Spain.

As noted by Airbus, the masks which were part of a consignment of two million delivered to Europe from China, are destined for use in the Spanish health system.

“This air-bridge will enable the delivery of a significant supply of masks to the Spanish public health network in support of current Covid-19 crisis efforts. This comes on top of donations by Airbus in recent days to provide thousands of masks to hospitals and public services around Europe. The company will continue to provide support with additional flights planned to take place in the coming days in co-ordination with national authorities,” the company said in a statement.

News of the A400M airlift came five days after Airbus confirmed to Jane’s that it was one of a number of aerospace and automotive companies that had responded to the UK government’s call to develop and build ventilators to help cope with the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

These are unprecedented times and Airbus will help where it can. Our engineers and technology teams in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK are investigating the practicalities of how we might best support the design, manufacturing, and assembly of critical medical equipment,” Airbus told Jane’s on 19 March. Jane’s

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