Wallonia, the hub of medical aid in Europe08/04/2020
In the middle of the present global health crisis, the Wallonia region of Belgium is proving to be a central logistics platform for the imports of emergency medical equipment into Europe. More than 3 million protective masks and other medical equipment have already passed through Liège Cargo Airport to be distributed throughout the European countries most affected by the Coronavirus.
With the COVID-19 pandemic currently spreading, hospitals are facing an unprecedented shortage of medical equipment. Wallonia is playing an important role in this relief effort thanks to Liège airport, which is enabling the efficient distribution of equipment throughout Europe.
As the 7th largest cargo airport in Europe, Liège Airport enjoys multiple air and rail connections and easy access to warehouses and storage facilities that are essential in this race against time to counter the shortage of medical equipment. "We are proud of the efforts made to transform this logistics hub into a highly efficient transit centre for humanitarian goods," said Luc Partoune, CEO of Liège Airport. Liège airport began transporting medical equipment to China at the start of the epidemic and now to Europe at this stage of the crisis.
Several planes from China in particular have landed at the Airport in recent days. On board are batches of masks, protective equipment and testing kits sent by the Alibaba Foundation and the Jack Ma Foundation, named after the founder and former boss of the Chinese e-commerce giant.
The first shipments were sent primarily to Italy and Spain, but also to the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden and elsewhere.