Thousands of pounds of important cargo pass through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) every day, but perhaps none more special that the more than 200,000 pounds of baby formula UPS transported to PHL from Melbourne, Australia, on July 5. The delivery was part of Operation Fly Formula, the federal initiative to resolve the infant formula shortage in the U.S.   

"We know how important these flights are to ensuring families across the country have the formula they need, and UPS is grateful we have been able to help during this crisis," said Dave Ortone, vice president, UPS Air Operations. 

The precious cargo from Bubs Australia came via truck (from Melbourne to Sydney) and UPS 747 freighter (with a stop in Hawaii), with a total transit time of more than 20 hours. As of July 3, Operation Fly Formula had transported the equivalent of more than 37.2 million eight-ounce bottles of formula to the U.S.  

"We are proud to support our partner, UPS, in this endeavor and welcome this special flight from Australia to Philadelphia,” said PHL Interim CEO Keith Brune. “We are ready to welcome additional flights for this mission should we be called upon."