United Airlines has now begun flying charter flights to pre-position initial doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine all around the country.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the airline has taken this step so that once the FDA issues the expected emergency use authorization for public distribution of the vaccine, it can be pushed out rapidly. Pfizer’s vaccine, it should be noted, requires it to be stored at extremely cold temperatures for it to remain viable up to the point of inoculation.

United plans to fly chartered cargo flights between Brussels International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport to support distribution of the vaccine, according to a Nov. 24 letter from the Federal Aviation Administration viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The FAA said in a statement Friday that it was supporting the “first mass air shipment of a vaccine,” and that it is working with airlines to safely transport Covid-19 vaccines.

In addition, the Journal reports that the drugmaker has stood up refrigerated storage units at its two vaccine production sites in Michigan and Belgium as well as its main distribution hubs in Wisconsin and Germany.

Pfizer was the first of three — so far — pharmaceutical companies to publicize the results of its vaccine’s phase 3 trial efficacy. It has submitted the trial data to the FDA with the expectation that the vaccine could be officially approved after an agency vote in mid December. The company has already been producing doses for immediate use and expects to produce as many as 50 million doses of its vaccine by the end of the year, although a share of those doses are designated for distribution in the European Union.

The airline reportedly had to request an official exception to be able to carry additional dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) to keep the Pfizer vaccine cold during transport.

“The FAA said it would allow United to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice per flight—five times more than normally permitted,” the Journal reported. “Regulators restrict the amount of dry ice that can be carried on passenger jets because they typically lack equipment to monitor and mitigate any leaked carbon dioxide.”

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