A small but growing number of Part 135 operators have jumped into the Covid-19 vaccine distribution effort as rural communities continue to seek support. But much more can and needs to be done on the distribution front, said Ryan Waguespack, senior v-p of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), who added the association has been working to try to facilitate public-private partnerships connecting operators with state and local health departments.
NATA on Thursday issued a call to action to encourage operators to get involved and assembled a working white paper to serve as a guide on these efforts. The white paper notes that Congress in December appropriated $8.7 billion for distribution and the Part 135 community is “uniquely position to assist outlying communities and regions and expanding the health and vaccine distribution infrastructure currently in place—creating unique opportunities for partnerships between private industry and local government to achieve Congress’ key goals.”
