- Luxury cruising company Crystal Cruises is offering its VIP Boeing 777-200LR private jet for COVID-19-related cargo charters.
- The 88-seat wide-body private jet typically flies wealthy passengers around the world on private charters and air cruise itineraries with some journeys reported to cost over $150,000.
- The converted airliner can fly up to 17 hours flying cargo-only flights with Crystal Cruises joining the scores of aerospace companies offering aircraft for medical supply cargo missions.
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New aircraft are joining the airlift to transport medical supplies with each passing day as air cargo remains the quickest method of delivery for necessary cargo. Aircraft from Boeing, Airbus, Dassault, Antonov, as well as passenger jets solely flying cargo and even the New England Patriots' team jet, have supplemented existing freight and transportation networks around the world.
Luxury cruise company Crystal Cruises became the latest to join in the effort, offering its flagship Boeing 777-200LR VIP jet for cargo charters and flying its first mission on Monday. Departing from its initial mission of offering air cruises and private charters once the demand for travel vanished in early March, the focus of the wide-body jet will now be on its belly cargo hold instead of the ultra-luxurious cabin above.
Crystal Skye, as the twin-engine luxury liner is called, can carry nearly 50 tonnes of cargo with a range of over 16 hours depending on the load, Vice President & Managing Director Richard Ziskind told Business Insider in an email. The low-density interior of the aircraft allows for additional cargo to be stored in the holds below.
The company's first mission saw its flagship fly over 8,000 miles from Fort Myers, Florida to Shanghai, China into nearly the heart of the epidemic.
Take a look at how the 88-seat private jet aimed at catering to the world's elite is now helping fight a pandemic.
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