A plane full of needed medical supplies from China was set to land in Boston on Thursday afternoon.
Rather than an airline or government logo, though, the plane features the New England Patriots design and their six Lombardi Trophies.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the plane was permitted to land in Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday for three hours and loaded with 1.2 million N95 masks.
WSJ reported that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker was trying to get the supplies to his state, and he was able to work out a deal with officials in China, but needed help getting the supplies to the state.
He contacted Jonathan Kraft, chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital and Patriots president. The team owns their own team plane, and while it normally carries players and football equipment, it was big enough to transport the supplies.
“I’ve never seen so much red tape in so many ways and obstacles that we had to overcome,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the WSJ report. “In today’s world, those of us who are fortunate to make a difference have a significant responsibility to do so with all the assets we have available to us.”
Baker posted photo of the plane with a note of “huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen” in a tweet Thursday morning.
No days off. Thanks to some serious teamwork, Massachusetts is set to receive over 1 million N95 masks for our front-line workers. Huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen. pic.twitter.com/ieV6XMC5Ow
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) April 2, 2020
Baker and Robert Kraft will greet the plane when it arrives at Logan Airport. The Massachusetts National Guard will transport the masks to a stockpile in Marlborough, Mass., according to Politico.
The Patriots on Thursday also said that donations to the Patriots Foundation, the team’s charitable organization, will go to the purchase of medical supplies for doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and first responders fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Our most important flight.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 2, 2020
More supplies will be needed! Please join our ongoing efforts: https://t.co/23xDMPbJjn https://t.co/jJtiupDBk3
