This was driven by a high demand for PPE in the country at a time when COVID-19 was still localised in and around the Wuhan area before it became a global pandemic. A large number of protective items were even donated by the Kenyan government before local stocks ran out and had to be sourced from bordering Uganda and Tanzania.
Network Airline Services in Nairobi act as the Cargo Sales Agent for China Southern Airlines which services four flights weekly between Kenya and China.
"Through our expertise, we were able to utilise these regular flights to help move 72 tonnes of vital PPE which included 10m face masks as well as other supplies including face shields, gloves and protective suits to Harbin Province, in Northern China.
“At first a challenge to load cargo presented itself, due to a high volume of goods, but through our experience and innovation we were able to load more cargo into the passenger cabin utilising all unoccupied seats,” explains Sarah Wangui, Managing Director of Network Airline Services in Nairobi.