Minister Martin van Rijn (VWS) and President-CEO of KLM Elbers welcome the first Boeing 747 from Shanghai full of medical supplies at Schiphol Airport. It is the expansion of the air bridge between China and the Netherlands that should guarantee a continuous flow of relief supplies.

This morning, the first KLM Boeing 747 with medical supplies from Shanghai landed at Schiphol Airport. By expanding the air bridge between the Netherlands and China, the Netherlands is assured of a continuous flow of relief supplies.

In the presence of Minister Martin van Rijn (Public Health, Welfare and Sport) and President & CEO Pieter Elbers of KLM, the supplies were unloaded and prepared for further distribution to Dutch healthcare institutions in the fight against corona.

KLM has especially brought the Boeing 747 combi back into operation for this important cargo airlift for the next 6 to 8 weeks. The almost daily flights ensure a continuous flow of medical supplies from China to the Netherlands.

So far, KLM and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport have already brought 12 million mouth masks, hundreds of thousands of gloves, safety goggles, insulation jackets and hundreds of infusion pumps to the Netherlands.

This morning, the cargo hold of the Boeing 747 with flight number KL894 from Shanghai, was filled to capacity with, among other things, hundreds of thousands of mouth masks, 30,000 insulation jackets and 30,000 safety goggles. Tomorrow and Wednesday, two more KLM-Boeings will land with medical goods from China, as part of the air bridge. Over the next 5 days, millions of mouth masks are expected.

For more information:

Tom Elbersen, press officer VWS: t.elbersen@minvws.nl

Paul Weber, press officer KLM: paul.weber@klm.com