IAF starts transporting empty oxygen tankers from UP

The Indian Air Force (IAF) started airlifting empty oxygen tankers of Uttar Pradesh from its Hindon air base in Ghaziabad to transport them to oxygen filling units elsewhere

The Indian Air Force (IAF) started airlifting empty oxygen tankers of Uttar Pradesh from its Hindon air base in Ghaziabad to transport them to oxygen filling units elsewhere. The tankers with refills will return to the state on trains later. The state government also said that it may use the Bakshi Ka Talab air base in Lucknow and Gorakhpur air base for airlifting empty oxygen tankers.

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“The first two tankers were scheduled to be airlifted from Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad today (Saturday). We believe the tankers have reached Bokaro, Jamshedpur,” said a state government official.

The development follows chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday where Yogi requested the central government to deploy air force planes for oxygen supply.

At the Team-11 meeting on Saturday, the chief minister said: “Even the Indian Air Force is cooperating from various centres across the country for oxygen supply. Two tankers will be airlifted on an air force plane to Bokaro. From there, after refilling, the tankers will reach Lucknow on a train.”

The state government official said that the plane would take only empty tankers and won’t transport refilled tankers as that’s dangerous from the aviation point of view. Once filled with liquid oxygen, the tankers would reach their destinations in UP on trains. Airlifting empty tankers to the filling centres drastically cuts the total time of transportation.