Tecnam has partnered with Desmon Scientific SpA to repurpose its P2012 aircraft for Covid vaccine transportation

Italian manufacturer Tecnam has partnered with ‘ultra-freezer manufacturer Desmon Scientific SpA to repurpose its P2012 aircraft for Covid vaccine transportation.

The variant, named the P2012 Travelcare, was developed to help distributors worldwide reach even the most remote communities, including the areas with underdeveloped transport infrastructure, to ensure timely and equitable delivery of help.

Equipped with Desmon’s ultra low temperature freezer, which is designed to maintain and track product temperature, an individual P2012 Travelcare can transport as many as 115,000 vaccine doses to areas with less than 600m of unpaved runway.

The system is designed to maintain product temperature at -86°C during transport and -65°C for twelve hours after the system is unplugged for further distribution.

Tecnam’s Managing Director Giovanni Pascale Langer said “As the first vaccine breakthroughs were announced, we realized that the communities in remote areas would face delays in receiving help, as 67% of European airports alone have runways shorter than 5,000ft, making them inaccessible to large aircraft. The Travelcare was designed to facilitate efficient vaccine distribution. It is our contribution to the fight for a Covid-free world.”

Tecnam also recently announced a further expansion of the P2012’s mission capabilities by signing a contract with Apex Flight Academy in Taiwan for a purpose-built skydiving configuration.

Image(s) provided by: