IndiGo, in its bid to support the country in its fight against the pandemic, has created the first ever blood plasma corridor to save the life of a patient suffering from COVID-19.

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The plasma units were transported on IndiGo CarGo from Bengaluru to Srinagar via connecting flights. The plasma was first flown from Bengaluru to Delhi on 6E 363 followed by the connecting flight from Delhi to Srinagar 6E 2486, an IndiGo spokesperson here on September 2 said.

The plasma sustained a transit period of over 8 hours and was delivered successfully at the government hospital in Srinagar. IndiGo is the second airline in the world to have transported plasma successfully onboard CarGo.

B. Sriramulu, Minister, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Karnataka speaking on the occasion, applauded the efforts of the IndiGo Team who assisted the medical team to achieve this feat on ground and in air! He emphasised the 4th T in the implementation strategy for COVID is Teamwork (5T -Trace, Test, Treat, Teamwork and Training). “It was a proud moment that Karnataka is leading the way to show how we can save lives by flying that extra mile.”

Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer and Wholetime Director, IndiGo said, “At IndiGo, we are continuously looking for opportunities to contribute to the nation and our citizens’ fight against COVID-19. The creation of the first air corridor in India to transport blood plasma can have a huge positive impact on the treatment of COVID-19 patients through plasma therapy. I would like to congratulate the IndiGo CarGo team for making this possible and commencing a new chapter in the history of aviation in India”.

Dr. Vishal Rao, Associate Dean, HCG Cancer Hospital said, “At a time when the medical community is looking at possibilities to save lives of seriously ill COVID-19 patients, plasma therapy is one of the promising lines of treatment being explored. HCG Plasma bank has been able to cater to hundreds of needy critical patients. The creation of a successful air corridor opens up new possibilities for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 with plasma from anywhere in the country. We would like to thank Captain Rahul Srivastava, IndiGo CarGo team and BIAL in helping us save lives by making this possible.”

This was the first instance in the country, where two convalescent COVID Plasma bags were transported in CarGo from Bengaluru to Kashmir for critical COVID-19 patients. Recently, an inter-state green corridor - over a 348-km stretch for 4.5 hours - was created to transport convalescent plasma from HealthCare Global Cancer Hospital in Bengaluru to a private hospital in Chennai on August 04, 2020. Recently the US FDA has authorised the use of plasma therapy. It’s use in moderate, severe and critical illness can yield results of upto 100%, 80% and 60% respectively. Earlier intervention with plasma therapy in patients would be ideal to save more lives.