Airbus tests A330s on medical supply flights from China
by Joe Peskett, 23rd March Aviation Businessme.com
Airbus has revealed it is operating flights with test aircraft between China and Europe to transport medical supplies in the international effort against Covid-19.
The planemaker flew a test A330-800 over the weekend to transport around 2 million face masks from its Chinese base in Tianjin to Europe.
The masks will be donated to the Spanish and French authorities, where Airbus has two major assembly plants.
Additional flights are planned to take place in the coming days, the company confirmed in a statement.
Airbus said it has started to use its test aircraft to obtain larger quantities of masks from suppliers in China.
It added that it is supporting those in the health, emergency and public services that rely on its aircraft, helicopters and satellites in their jobs.
Airbus this week will begin to reopen its plants in France and Spain after they were temporarily closed last week to allow it to set up new work processes in response to Covid-19.
