When United Airlines Flight 919 departed from London’s Heathrow Airport Thursday, it was carrying some very special cargo: the equivalent of more than 268,000 bottles of Kendamil infant formula.

I was pleased to join leaders from the private sector, other health officials, and members of the media when the plane landed in Virginia yesterday. Over the next nine days, approximately 300,000 pounds – or approximately 3.7 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents – of Kendamil infant formula will be transported via United aircraft.

Yesterday’s flight was one of many being conducted under Operation Fly Formula – an effort launched by The White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, and the General Services Administration to increase the supply of infant formula in the United States. ASPR leads the coordination of logistics associated with the ground transportation, loading, and airlift of infant formula from international locations to the U.S.

Earlier in the day, another flight landed in Texas with approximately 1.6 million 8-ounce bottles of Nestlé NAN SupremePro Stage 1 infant formula. Under Operation Fly Formula, we anticipate that more than 10 million bottles of infant formula will be imported and distributed for sale in communities across the country.

Federal partners are also working to restore domestic production of infant formula and increase access for families that need it. On Monday, USDA announced that it is waiving certain requirements so that families with federal WIC benefits can access formula that's not normally approved for use in the program. On Saturday, Abbott Nutrition announced that it plans to reopen its Michigan facility around June 20 and that they will prioritize the production of specialty products that are needed the most.