Ukrainian aircraft delivers over ten million protective masks to Germany

The An-225 Mriya arrived in Leipzig, Germany, early on April 27 with a medical cargo from China.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer met the world's biggest aircraft at the airport, according to Ukrinform.

"Today, the world's biggest transport aircraft delivered over ten million protective masks from China to Germany, which is very important. This is part of a total batch of 25 million protective masks," Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

The German Defense Ministry coordinates the operation at the request of the Ministry of Health under the SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) program.

She stressed that Ukrainian Antonov aircraft are now being used "to deliver what we need" to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to An-225s, An-124 Ruslan aircraft also deliver protective masks to Germany - 8.3 million and 6.6 million masks. One An-124 arrived on April 26, and another one is expected to come on April 28.

All three flights are operated by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, Antonov Logistic SALIS GmbH.

In addition to Germany, participants in the SALIS program also include NATO countries and partners such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Luxembourg, Greece, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

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