Air India to bring 600 oxygen concentrators from US in next two days for private entities

NEW DELHI: Air India will bring around 600 oxygen concentrators on its two US-India flights in the next two days, aviation industry sources said on Sunday.

These oxygen concentrators have been ordered by private entities, the sources mentioned.

Various hospitals across the country continue to grapple with a severe shortage of medical oxygen on Sunday even after receiving emergency supplies.

Twenty people died at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital on Saturday amid a shortage of oxygen.

Sources said Air India plans to bring around 10,000 oxygen concentrators for private entities in the coming weeks.

When asked about this matter, Air India spokesperson said the airline is prepared to shoulder the responsibility of carrying oxygen concentrators or any consignment into India.

"Obviously, Air India with its experience of international operations and wide-body fleet is fully capable of carrying a large volume of cargo consignments," the spokesperson mentioned.

"It goes without saying that we will continue to play a major role in transporting oxygen (equipment) and serve our nation in whatever role assigned to us," the spokesperson said.

A record single-day rise of 3,46,786 coronavirus cases pushed India's tally of infection to 1,66,10,481, while active cases crossed the 25-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

The death toll rose to 1,89,544 with a record 2,624 more fatalities in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.