PAL transports PPE for medical frontliners

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Monday flew in from Shanghai, China, more than 2,500 boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) intends to donate to the country’s medical front-liners in the fight against the coronavirus disease pandemic.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna, in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, said the NGCP shipment arrived on PAL flight PR-337 utilizing an Airbus A330 aircraft.

Villaluna said NGCP’s 21.159 metric ton shipment was made up of two million surgical masks, 400,000 KN95 masks, 50,000 N95 masks, and 2,100 Infrared thermometers. The supplies, sealed in 2,556 boxes, occupied the aircraft’s cargo hold and cabin.

Despite the suspension of its commercial passenger flights, PAL has been ferrying into the country tons of medical cargo on behalf of companies, organizations and groups that then distribute these to various hospitals.

Villaluna said essential medical supplies were also flown to various domestic PAL stations for city and provincial hospitals.