IAF planes airlift oxygen tanks from Hyderabad to Odisha

The Telangana government, with the assistance of Indian Air Force planes, airlifted nine empty oxygen tankers to Odisha plants on Friday to acquire LOX for the state.

The plants at Angul and Rourkela are about 1200 km faraway from Hyderabad and therefore the decision to airlift oxygen tankers wouldn’t only save time but also help resolve to an outsized extent the rising shortage of medical oxygen for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The tankers will return by road and can bring the state 150 metric tonnes of LOX by April 27.

On Friday, Health minister Eatala Rajender alongside the Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials oversaw the operation at the old airport at Begumpet in Hyderabad. consistent with a press release from the minister’s office, two C17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force were deployed for the purpose.