American Airlines Delivers an Additional 3 Million Vaccines Abroad on Behalf of White House COVID-19 Task Force

FORT WORTH, Texas — Following the White House’s announcement to share at least 80 million U.S. vaccine doses globally this summer, American Airlines has now moved 4.5 million coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses to Guatemala. This afternoon, American delivered 3 million doses of vaccines on a donated cargo-only nonstop flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City. The shipment follows 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that American transported to Guatemala earlier this month.

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Airline donates second cargo flight to deliver more vaccine to Guatemala — 4.5 million doses in total

FORT WORTH, Texas — Following the White House’s announcement to share at least 80 million U.S. vaccine doses globally this summer, American Airlines has now moved 4.5 million coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses to Guatemala. This afternoon, American delivered 3 million doses of vaccines on a donated cargo-only nonstop flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City. The shipment follows 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that American transported to Guatemala earlier this month.

American’s Cargo team worked in close consultation with the White House COVID-19 task force and with pharmaceutical partners and trucking logistics specialists to move the shipment of vaccinations from a distribution site in Kentucky to American’s cargo terminal at ORD. The shipments were loaded onto a Boeing 777-300 and flew to GUA.

“We share President Biden and the White House’s commitment to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said American Airlines President Robert Isom. “Whether it is keeping the economy moving by adding cargo-only flights during the height of the pandemic or providing essential air travel for those who needed it, our team has remained ready to rise to any challenge. We are proud to be part of this life-saving effort to get the vaccine to the Guatemalan people.”

American transported its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. Since the beginning of the pandemic, American has leveraged its internationally recognized climate-controlled shipping solutions to fly more than 9,400 cargo only flights moving everything from vaccines and pharmaceuticals to perishable and agricultural goods.

With specialized facilities and its team of certified life-sciences experts, American handles temperature-critical shipments in more than 150 cities in 46 countries, and also operates the largest temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipping facility for airlines in the United States. This level of expert care has earned American the International Air Transport Association’s prestigious Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification — the premier distinction for airlines that have established the tools, procedures and staffing to ensure life sciences products are properly handled and arrive at their destination fully effective.

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Pallets containing 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) are ready to be loaded into the cargo compartment of a Boeing 777-300 aircraft for the flight to Guatemala City (GUA).

The American Airlines team in Guatemala City (GUA) following the Boeing 777’s arrival with COVID-19 vaccine doses.