Tecnam P2012 Optimized for Vaccine Delivery

Tecnam has partnered with ultra-freezer manufacturer Desmon to retrofit the P2012 Traveller for COVID-19 vaccination transportation, into a new version dubbed the Travelcare. The P2012 was deemed a good platform for transportation of the critical materials to remote locations in Europe and around the world.

A special ultra-freezer designed by Desmon can maintain product temperatures at minus 86 degrees Celsius during transport, and at minus 65 degrees Celsius for beween 10 to 12 hours after the unit is unplugged. The Travelcare platform is expected to reduce distribution cost per dose to as little as $0.005. The modified P2012 can carry as many as 115,000 doses to areas with less than 1,850 feet of paved runway available, according to Tecnam.

Tecnam’s managing director Giovanni Pascale Langer said in a press release, “As the first vaccine breakthroughs were announced, we realized that the communities in remote areas would face delays in receiving help. [Sixty-seven percent] of European airports alone have runways shorter than 5,000 feet, making them inaccessible to large aircraft. We decided to act fast. [The] P2012 Travelcare was designed to facilitate equitable and efficient vaccine distribution. It is our contribution to the fight for a COVID-free world. With the dedicated support of our partners at Desmon, we worked tirelessly to repurpose the P2012 aircraft and meet all the necessary regulations for this special mission [in] less than a month. The value of the P2012 platform will extend beyond this mission.”