An Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane on Friday carried an empty oxygen tanker from Indore in Madhya Pradesh to Jamnagar in neighbouring Gujarat, an official said.
After refilling, the 30 metric tonne-capacity tanker will return to Indore by road, he added.
"The IAF plane landed at Indore airport at 3:15 pm and left for Jamnagar with the tanker soon after," the official said.
The airlifting of empty tankers to oxygen filling sites using IAF planes was started after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged the centre to help his state fight a surge in COVID-19 cases, he said.
As the rear portion of the tanker could not enter the plane's cargo hold properly, the tanker's mudguard was removed, said Indore airport director Aryama Sanyal.
The aircraft will return to Indore on Saturday to transport another empty tanker, Aryama Sanyal added.
Rohan Saxena, the district official overseeing the operation, said an oxygen tanker takes 20 hours to reach Jamnagar from Indore by road, while the plane will cover the distance in an hour.
Madhya Pradesh on Friday recorded 13,590 coronavirus cases, 1,206 more than on Thursday.
The IAF on Friday tweeted that its C-17 and IL-76 aircraft airlifted empty oxygen containers for refiling across the country.
Exclusive: 1st Videos Of IAF Night-Time Laser-Guided Bomb Attacks On Tiger Hill During Kargil War "I Locked Onto A Pakistani F-16 For 30 Seconds": Kargil Hero's Account IAF Agniveervayu Recruitment 2024: Registration Begins, Check Eligibility, Paper Pattern Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Puja Khedkar's Mother, Who Waved Gun At Farmers, In Police Custody More Than 40% Of Japanese Companies Have No Plan To Use AI: Reuters Poll "Unjustified": Russia On India Facing "Enormous Pressure" Due To Energy Ties Man Receives Worm-Infested Amul Buttermilk, Company Apologises Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.