![\"\"](\"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/aer_lingus.png\")
A flight from China carrying millions of euro of protective equipment for healthcare workers battling coronavirus has landed in Ireland.<\/p>\nA flight from China carrying millions of euro of protective equipment for healthcare workers battling coronavirus has landed in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Aer Lingus Airbus A330 touched down at Dublin Airport just before 3pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It was the first of dozens of flights the Irish carrier will make to bring consignments of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Beijing.<\/p>\n
The Irish Government has a struck a deal with Chinese PPE suppliers worth almost \u20ac210m.<\/p>\n
The first batch of the order, worth \u20ac28m, is being transported on 10 Aer Lingus flights, the last of which will fly on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
It contains 11m protective masks, 2.3m eye protectors, 2.4m gowns and nine million gloves.<\/p>\n
The second batch is anticipated to be ready for collection later in the week, with planes expected to fly back and forth to Beijing on a regular basis until mid-summer.<\/p>\n
The first crew, which was not allowed to disembark in China, volunteered to take part in the PPE collection mission.<\/p>\n
Ireland has increased its normal \u20ac15m annual outlay on PPE to \u20ac225m to cope with the demand due to Covid-19.<\/p>\n
Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE, outlined the scale-up involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would normally procure 500,000 masks a year,\u201d he said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, up to the end of May with our delivery we\u2019re planning to procure over 36m masks. On eye protections, we normally procure 200,000 a year; we\u2019ll be procuring 24.4m. On gowns, we will normally procure 100,000 gallons per year; we\u2019re procuring over 24m this year by May.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd gloves, we normally procure 4m and our plan is to procure 56m.<\/p>\n
“Obviously we\u2019re as anxious as everybody, including our staff, to see every one of those flights come in with that delivery.”<\/p>\n
Mr Reid said the first batch had been expected by Irish government officials and deemed to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.<\/p>\n
The Northern Ireland Executive is also securing PPE from China as part of a joint order with the HSE.<\/p>\n
The first flight attracted much public attention, with officials from both China and Ireland providing regular Twitter updates on its progress.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Simon Harris said: \u201cWe are doing everything that is humanly possible to secure as much personal protective equipment as we can.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank the crew, I want to thank the airline, I want to thank the HSE, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese authorities \u2013 everyone who has worked so hard to get this.<\/p>\n
“There is a shortage of personal protective equipment right throughout the world.”<\/p>\n