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Freight industry comes to aid of typhoon victims – updated
[ November 14, 2013 // Chris ]The air charter industry swung into action quickly to help victims of the Philippines typhoon.
On 13 November, Air Partner said it had organised four Boeing 777 and two 747 flights to the Philippines, carrying 600 tonnes of vehicles, tents, shelter kits and tarpaulins from East Midlands Airport and the UAE to Mactan Cebu airport. Working around the clock, it’s experience broking team had been able to react quickly to the unfolding events and get aid to where it was needed.
Chapman Freeborn said that it too was in the midst of an operation to shift aid on chartered An12, 777 and 747 aircraft to Mactan Cebu and Manilla. The first-named airport was under great pressure, it added, as the only gateway in the region capable of handling larger planes. Smaller airports were reopening but communications remain difficult.
Meanwhile, express carrier UPS ,said it had pledged $1 million to support for recovery efforts in the Philippines in a combination of cash grants, in-kind transportation movements and technical expertise to provide urgent relief as well as strategic support for the long-term needs. President of The UPS Foundation, Eduardo Martinez, said: “UPS and its partners quickly moved our Global Humanitarian Relief Program to urgent response mode and together have set into motion a multi-faceted relief effort. We are immediately contributing $500,000 to provide urgent relief. We will monitor progress and on-going needs and will contribute an additional $500,000 later to support the near-term recovery needs of these communities.”
The first UK aid flight, a chartered Boeing 777 carrying 8,836 shelter kits from UK government stores in Dubai landed in Cebu on 12 November and was met by Department for International Development (DFID) humanitarian workers. Further DFID-funded food, water, medicines and other supplies were due to be delivered by NGO partners over the coming days and weeks. It was the first of several UK-funded humanitarian flights scheduled from Dubai and the UK in the as part of the UK’s response to Typhoon Haiyan.
Deutsche Post DHL sent ts Disaster Response Team to the central Philippines on 14 November to help with on-the-ground airport logistics by setting up a temporary warehouse to help sort relief goods at Mactan Cebu Airport. It handles incoming freight, make a full inventory and ensure the speedy loading of the most critical supplies onto trucks or helicopters. Because roads are blocked or completely destroyed – and because regular access to the smaller islands is limited – the DRT has provided DHL Speedballs, special bags with basic relief goods that can be dropped from helicopters.
Back in the UK, British Red Cross’s warehouse in Bristol operated around the clock loading supplies such as computers, printers, vehicles, as well as water purification and sanitation kits, tents and other heavy duty kit in to containers to be flown out to the Philippines from East Midlands airport.
Tags: Air Partner, Chapman Freeborn, Philippines, UPS