UK Prime Minister Honours Pilot Who Flew 200 Oxygen Concentrators To India

Jaspal Singh, a pilot and Khalsa Aid volunteer from the UK, has been felicitated with the Prime Minister's Points of Light award. In a personal letter to Mr Singh, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was inspired to hear of Mr Singh's "enormous contribution to India's battle against Coronavirus."

The Virgin Atlantic pilot volunteered to fly 200 donated oxygen concentrators to India to help in the country's battle against COVID-19.

India is battling a ferocious second wave of coronavirus and hospitals in several parts of the country have reported shortages in oxygen supply. The latest outbreak has seen oxygen requirements at Indian hospitals rise 10-fold, according to Abhinav Mathur, founder of the Million Sparks Foundation, states a Bloomberg report. 

When he saw the devastating impact of the pandemic, Mr Singh said he wanted to help. He reached out to his employer Virgin Atlantic to see if they could aid relief work in India by flying much-needed oxygen concentrators to the country. 

One of our incredible pilots, Jas Singh, has been awarded the Prime Minister's Points of Light award.

Jas has been recognised for his amazing efforts with charity @Khalsa_Aid, flying hundreds of oxygen cylinders to help the Covid crisis in India. We're hugely proud of him.

— virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) May 13, 2021

"Having seen the devastating impact of COVID-19 in India, I wanted to do everything within my power to support the cause," he was quoted as saying in a statement released by Points Of Light.

"It has been amazing to see the generosity of the general public, colleagues, friends and family who have donated much needed oxygen concentrator machines to 'Khalsa Aid International'.

"This generosity inspired me to connect with Virgin Atlantic to see if we could enable these machines to reach the people of India, it was then an immense privilege to be able to personally fly these vital oxygen supplies," said Mr Singh. 

For his work in Covid relief, Mr Singh was honoured with the Prime Minister's Points Of Light award. 

"Thank you for your enormous contribution to India's battle against Coronavirus," said UK PM Boris Johnson in a letter to the pilot.

"The British people have stepped up in their thousands to help the people of India in a demonstration of the deep connection between our countries. I was inspired to hear of how you have taken to the skies to deliver hundreds of oxygen cylinders to people in need."