MEDIA ADVISORY: Airbus 'Beluga' Carries Movable Hospital to Mississippi

MEDIA ADVISORY: Airbus 'Beluga' Carries Movable Hospital to Mississippi

Aircraft Supports Hurricane Katrina Relief Mission in U.S. Transporting Critical Aid From Germany to Gulf Coast

ATLANTA, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its continuing support of Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts, leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus is transporting vital medical care to hurricane-stricken Mississippi in the form of a mobile hospital unit. Today, the largest capacity cargo aircraft in the world will depart Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at approximately noon local time bound for Jackson, Miss., with a mobile medical care system called TransHospital(R) on board.

The aircraft is being loaded this morning at the South Cargo Building at the Atlanta airport, and it will arrive at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time in Jackson, Miss. at the 172nd Airlift Wing at Thompson Field.

The aircraft -- an Airbus A300-600 Super Transporter, known as the "Beluga" because of its unique, whale-like shape -- is being provided by Airbus to accomplish the remarkable mission of transporting the hospital unit. On loan from the German Army and government, the TransHospital system includes an operating room, an X-ray module, modules for operation preparation, a laboratory, a sterilization component, central material supply and patient wards, and water and other supply units. The unit was developed by EADS, one of Airbus' parent companies.

After the Beluga aircraft arrives in Jackson, Miss., the TransHospital medical unit will be unloaded and transported to Forrest, Miss., to provide needed medical care in cooperation with the Mississippi Immigrant Community Development Corporation.

This is the second mission for the Airbus Beluga associated with Hurricane Katrina relief. On Sept. 8, the aircraft arrived in Mobile, Alabama, with more than 22 tons of relief supplies donated by the governments of the United Kingdom and France for the hurricane victims along the Gulf Coast.

Airbus is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.

For more press releases, as well as extensive information on Airbus and its

aircraft go to www.airbus.com.

Source: Airbus North America

CONTACT: Airbus: Kristi Tucker, +1-703-338-8263, for both Atlanta and
Jackson, Miss.; Miss. Air Nat'l Guard: Lieut. Kat Helton +1-601-672-1771,
for media airport access in Jackson, Miss.; or Mississippi Immigrant Community
Dev. Corp.: Rosemary Ramirez Barbour, +1-601-497-3344

Web site: http://www.airbus.com/

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Profile: travel