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Apr 8 2020

100,000 sets of protective medical equipment delivered in Romania to fight COVID-19

Pápa (Hungary) 8 April 2020 – On 8 April 2020, a C-17 arrived to Bucharest carrying about 100,000 sets of medical protective overall suits that will be distributed by the Romanian authorities to the contingent fighting COVID-19 on the front line.

This is the third emergency response mission executed in support to Romania. The flight, as the previous ones, was arranged through the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) in response to an emergency requirement to transport protective medical equipment from Asia. It took off from Pápa Air Base (Hungary) on 4 of April, and after loading the material in South Korea, reached final destination in Otopeni Military Air Force Base in Bucharest on the morning of the 8th of April.

Overall, 135 tons of cargo have been delivered across the three missions; meaning 300,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) to help equipping the healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the front line.

NATO nations are making use of their flight hours and the economy of scale offered by SAC to transfer medical equipment and other supplies during the COVID19 crisis. This last latest SAC mission in support to Romania, together with the one in support to The Netherlands and the previous SALIS missions executed in support to other NATO nations confirms the value of strategic airlift capabilities.

About Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC)

The Strategic Airlift Capability is a multinational programme that provides assured access to strategic military airlift capability for its 12 member nations, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States of America.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) manages the full life cycle management of the three Globemaster C-17 aircraft stationed at Pápa Airbase, including acquisition and sustainment. Mission execution is the sole responsibility of the operational arm of the SAC, the multinational military unit, the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW).