Cargo carriers rally to support Venezuela earthquake victims

Freighter operators have jumped in with humanitarian relief flights amid challenging conditions to support the relief efforts following the devastating earthquakes last month in Venezuela. Carriers are coordinating the flights to Simon Bolívar International Airport in Caracas (CCS), which partially reopened on June 27 under severe restrictions. The airport suffered damage to its passenger terminal and two runways, according to a June 26 Notice to Airmen. [caption id="attachment_57298155" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] LATAM deployed its Solidarity Plane to support relief efforts in Venezuela. (Courtesy/LATAM Cargo)[/caption] CCS is using only one runway for all flights in and out, Amerijet Chief Executive Joe Mozzali told Cargo Facts . The death toll from the June 24 earthquakes, which measured from 7.1 to 7.5 on the Richter scale, has risen to more than 3,800, according to the Venezuelan information ministry. LATAM, Awesome Cargo, Amerijet, Aerosucre and 7Air are among the freighter operators that have flown humanitarian missions to Venezuela. Relief flights flown LATAM, South America’s largest combination carrier, has allocated dedicated freighters and belly space to support the relief efforts, the company said. LATAM Cargo launched its Solidarity Plane program on June 26, coordinating six freighter and four passenger flights from the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru and has delivered more than 400 tonnes of supplies to Venezuela, Cristina Onate, vice president of sustainability and product development, told Cargo Facts . “The greatest logistical challenge has been coordinating a multi-origin international network to respond against the clock to the scale of the earthquake.” — Cristina Onate, vice president of sustainability and product development, LATAM Cargo. Colombia-based Aerosucre deployed its 737 Classic freighters to support the relief effort, completing three flights to CCS with a 737-300BDSF (23260) on June 30 and July 1 before operating one of its 737-400SFs (25853) on behalf of the Juntos se Puede Foundation on July 3. Aerosucre shipped 38 tonnes of supplies in the first two flights, Cesar Montenegro, board member and purchasing manager, told Cargo Facts . Mexico-based Awesome Cargo operated its first relief flight to CCS on July 4 with an A330-200P2F, and expects several more to follow, founder and Chief Executive Luis Ramos told Cargo Facts . U.S.-based Amerijet and 7Air also have delivered much-needed supplies using 767-300Fs and 737-800s, respectively, the airlines told Cargo Facts . “Thus far, Amerijet has operated ten relief flights into Venezuela, [carrying around 500 tonnes], including three flights from Salvador (SSA) to Valencia, Venezuela (VLN), supporting the Salvadorian government relief efforts,” Amerijet’s Mozzali said. 7Air has made eight humanitarian flights to CCS from June 28 through today and expects to continue operating seven to ten flights per week, Chief Executive Iraq Pacheco said. Carriers providing humanitarian air support to Venezuela have experienced headwinds since relief efforts began. Overcoming challenges “The greatest logistical challenge has been coordinating a multi-origin international network to respond against the clock to the scale of the earthquake,” LATAM’s Onate said. Amerijet is experiencing longer turnaround times offloading airfreight, but will continue to support the relief flights until its planes are no longer needed, Mozzali said. For 7Air, the earthquake damage to CCS has made it extremely challenging to obtain landing permits, weather reports, ground support equipment and crew lodging if the aircraft must remain at the airport, Pacheco said. Airlink support Airlink, a rapid response humanitarian relief organization, began coordinating relief efforts on the same day the earthquakes occurred and will continue to provide support throughout the recovery process, Director of Marketing and Communications Natalie Jacobsen told Cargo Facts . The organization is partnering with Amazon Air, United Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca and Copa Airlines and delivered 36 tonnes of field hospital equipment, hygiene kits and tarps to CCS on July 7, she said. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register by Sept. 4 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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