IAG Cargo and sister company British Airways will operate a relief flight transporting 27 tonnes of medical aid to Delhi, India.

A 777-200 will be loaded with emergency aid to support the Indian government, IAG Cargo said. This includes more than a thousand items from the High Commission of India and charities such as Khalsa Aid International and the largest Hindu Temple outside India, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden.

A special project team has been formed to organise the flight, which is due to leave London Heathrow Airport today at 1700 (Wednesday 5 May), landing in Delhi at 0545 local time on 6 May.

The load includes hundreds of oxygen cylinders and shipments of oxygen concentrators, respirators and blood oxygen saturation monitors. British Airways is also donating care packages for families in need.

The air lift is a special charter and is fully funded by the two companies.

“We have all seen the terrible scenes in India of the deepening humanitarian crisis that has impacted the lives of many of our people and our customers,” said IAG Cargo’s chief commercial officer John Cheetham. “Thank you to the team at IAG Cargo, British Airways and all the charities involved in this project – without their support this special mission providing essential relief to communities in India would not have been possible.”