There isn't an approved COVID-19 vaccine just yet, but preparations are already underway for its distribution -- including any extreme temperature requirements. American Airlines announced this week that its cargo operation has started conducting trial flights from Miami to South America to test its process of shipping vaccines.
That includes stress testing a trial of "a major pharmaceutical company’s thermal packaging," CEO Doug Parker said in a LinkedIn post earlier this week. The flight did not involve any vaccine doses, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Parker said the airline "successfully moved" the thermal packaging of the company, which was not identified, last week.
Pfizer and BioNTech were the first to submit a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Distribution of their vaccine poses a potential challenge: It must be kept at around minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit -- far colder than a typical freezer can accommodate. Because of these temperature requirements, the company will ship vaccine doses in special temperature-controlled thermal boxes packed with dry ice.
American Airlines said in a statement to ABC News that it has established a "network of team members that specialize in temperature-critical shipments," and that it will work with the Federal Aviation Administration on "regulations governing shipments transported with dry ice."
Utilizing cargo and commercial carriers will allow the vaccine to be "distributed as quickly as possible," Parker said.