Cargo carriers continue post-earthquake relief efforts

In the aftermath of the earthquakes devastating parts of Turkey and Syria this month, several cargo carriers are delivering much-needed aid to those affected. The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake is estimated at more than 47,000, according to published reports. Carriers provide relief Turkish Airlines , based at Istanbul Airport (IST), was one of the first carriers to respond to the disaster , transporting search and rescue teams and aid materials to affected areas, and continues to be on the front lines. Since the earthquake struck, Turkish Airlines has carried 238,112 search and rescue personnel on 1,324 flights as well as evacuated 230,980 people on 1,302 flights at no cost, according to a Feb. 20 release. The airline also carried 15,648 tonnes of aid, including food, medicine, clothing, generators, hygiene kits and tents on 156 cargo flights. [caption id="attachment_98241" align="alignright" width="365"] Photo courtesy of BUD[/caption] In addition to evacuations and aid, the carrier has pledged that it will finance construction of 1,000 homes for those affected by the earthquake, as well as donating TL$2 billion ($105.9 million for immediate aid, Ahmet Bolat, Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee, said in the release. Since Feb. 17, FedEx has delivered more than 230 tonnes of aid, including tents, blankets, baby items, household supplies and hygiene kits, on overnight flights of its MD-11 freighter from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to IST, according to a Feb. 21 release. FedEx, meanwhile, has shipped cargo worth $1 million and donated $100,000 to the Red Cross on Feb. 8 to aid recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria. IAG Cargo is working with sister airlines British Airways and Vueling to partner with the Spanish Red Cross and Khalsa Aid to deliver aid including tents and food, an IAG Cargo spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . “We are proud to support the humanitarian aid response to Turkey and Syria in response to the devastating earthquake,” Fernando Terol Armas, director of the IAG Cargo Spanish hub and operations, told Air Cargo Next . “As a cargo industry, we have a role to play in delivering a range of essential goods every day and at IAG Cargo we are proud to use our global network and capacity to help those in need.” Virgin Atlantic Cargo partnered with Israeli aid organization Magen David Adom U.K. to transport more than $418,000 worth of supplies on a chartered cargo-only flight, according to a Feb. 14 release. The flight, from London Heathrow (LHR) to Adana Sakirpasa Airport (ADA), transported 64 pallets of clothing, including 31,000 coats and blankets and nearly 1 tonne of infant milk powder. Washington, D.C-based rapid-response humanitarian relief organization Airlink also participated in the Virgin flight, which totaled 16 tonnes of aid supplies, an Airlink spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . The organization also sent search and rescue teams to Turkey within a few hours of the disaster, and has since sent another 121 responders, most of whom were expert volunteers, the spokesperson said. Aid amid debris and sanctions The earthquake caused an estimated $84 billion worth of infrastructure damage, with estimates of a 3-year-minimum rebuild effort in Turkey and Syria, the spokesperson noted. “Many of the survivors are homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures,” the spokesperson explained. “Given the level of destruction, the Turkish government has called for tents, which is a priority item. But the people of both countries also need access to clean water, sanitation, medical care and equipment, and pharmaceuticals.” Delivering aid to Syria is particularly difficult due to sanctions still in place on the country, which has made the task the most challenging part of Airlink’s response, the spokesperson added. FedEx, Turkish Airlines and Virgin declined to provide further comment on relief efforts. Canadian carrier WestJet Cargo set aside 40 tonnes of capacity on two 787 Dreamliner flights from Calgary International Airport (YYC), according to a Feb. 17 release. The carrier said it plans to collect parcel shipments and donations across Canada in collaboration with freight forwarders. Germany-Turkey airbridge established In one of the airfreight industry’s larger relief efforts, an airbridge between Germany and Turkey has been set up by a coalition of groups, including Lufthansa Cargo , its subsidiaries time:matters and SunExpress, logistics company Fiege and parcel shipper DPD , according to a Feb. 17 release. The airbridge aims to transport more than 1,000 tonnes of relief supplies to the region in the coming weeks. The flights began on Feb. 10 with a Lufthansa Cargo 777 freighter, which delivered winter clothing, blankets, food and hygiene items from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Antalya Airport (AYT), much of which was donated by Turkish communities in Germany and Lufthansa Cargo employees. Meanwhile, on Feb. 20, SunExpress began operating cargo-only flights to Turkey on Mondays and Tuesdays. The carrier also will load relief goods on its daily flights from FRA to AYT, according to a Feb. 10 release.

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