A plane loaded with 68 tonnes of disposable gloves, masks and visors has arrived at Heathrow and is already on its way to the frontline.
The flight packed with personal protective equipment from China landed at the airport in west London on Saturday afternoon.
It had been chartered by global freight forwarders Far Logistics after orders were placed by multiple suppliers with manufacturers in Asia.
Managing director Louis Phillips, based in Felixstowe, said the first discussion about bringing in the cargo was only a week ago but that this would be the first flight of many.
He said: “There were tens of thousands of individual pieces on this one and there are tens of millions to come behind that.”
Many of those items will be imported by other companies like his.
He added: “When you are working on a project like this, it’s about contributing to the national effort to the frontline, which is struggling currently.”
From the airport, the goods head to distribution centres, and, by Sunday afternoon, Mr Phillips expected some of the items to have already arrived where they are needed most.