Maharashtra government will ferry empty tanker by Air Force cargo planes. (Representational)
The Maharashtra government will send four empty tankers to Jamnagar from Pune by Air Force cargo planes to bring liquid medical oxygen to the state on Saturday, a senior official said.
The first Air Force cargo plane carrying two 15 ton capacity empty oxygen tankers will take off from Pune airport for Jamnagar at 8.30 am, while the second one will leave at 11.30 am, the official said.
"The tankers will return to Maharashtra by road after being loaded with liquid medical oxygen there. They cannot be brought back by plane due to safety issues," he said.
As the demand for medical oxygen has skyrocketed due to a huge surge in COVID-19 infections, Air Force planes are being used to ferry empty tankers for refill.
In a related development, the first Oxygen Express train bringing seven tankers loaded with liquid oxygen from Visakhapatnam reached Maharashtra late in the evening.