The crucial role airlift plays in expedited delivery is not limited to global trade, but is also of great significance to humanitarian relief. \u00a0Air Cargo World\u2019s publisher, Royal Media, has, for some time, supported the efforts of Airlink, a leading rapid-response relief organization that links commercial and charter airlines within its network to pre-qualified nonprofits \u2014 essentially the freight forwarder of choice for the nonprofit industry.
\nSince the organization\u2019s inception in 2010, Airlink has overseen the transport of more than 2,500 tonnes of cargo and 3,700 passengers across the globe, with the help of its generous partners. Their combined efforts have saved Airlink\u2019s pre-qualified nonprofits an estimated US$5 million in logistics costs.
\nThis year, there are no shortages of global disasters requiring exceptional airfreight services.
\nIf you are\u00a0interested in learning more about the degree to which demands for Airlink\u2019s ongoing support missions are being met, and opportunities for improvement, join our sister publication, Cargo Facts, at the 2016 Cargo Facts Asia symposium, where Steven Smith, executive director of Airlink, will give a special presentation devoted to the topic. Cargo Facts Asia will take place in Hong Kong, April 19-20. To register, or for more information, go to cargofactsasia.com.
\nAnd now for a quick overview of Airlink\u2019s current missions in progress:
\nFiji \u2013 Cyclone Winston
\nCyclone Winston, one of the strongest storms on record in the South Pacific, hit Fiji in late February, downing trees and power lines, destroying buildings, and causing mudslides and road closures\u00a0across the islands. \u00a0The death toll stands at 42, with 67,000 homeless, and more than 350,000 people left without access to clean water, sanitation and basic food and medical supplies. Airlink has partnered with All Hands to support the organization\u2019s efforts to restore latrines and distribute water, sanitation and health (WASH) education materials to reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases, such as typhoid.
\nGreece\u00a0\u2013 Syrian refugee crisis
\nAs the crisis enters its second year, more than 150,000 refugees have made the journey from Greece to neighboring states. To date, Airlink has worked with its partners to send nearly 4 tonnes of aid materials from\u00a0International Medical Corps,\u00a0and 10 aid workers\u00a0from\u00a0Disaster Tech Lab\u00a0to assist with refugee relief activities.
\nUnited States \u2013 Flooding
\nLast week, torrential downpours caused widespread flooding in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Airlink responded by finding lift for two NECHAMA staff members. With more than 11,000 homes damaged, local government and relief agencies expect the demand for aid to persist.
\nLatin America & the Caribbean\u00a0\u2013 Zika Virus
\nBy the middle of last year, Latin American and Caribbean countries began to see a rise in the number of mosquito-borne Zika virus cases. While typically the disease is not considered dangerous in most adults, the Zika virus has been linked with infant microcephaly. Airlink is currently assisting its nonprofit\u00a0partners with the transportation of aid materials, to assist in the management of this outbreak.
\nEthiopia\u00a0\u2013 Food Security Crisis
\nEthiopia continues to suffer from the worst drought the country has seen in 50 years. More than 10.2 million people are in need of food assistance\u00a0\u2013 an increase of more than 7 million people since January 2015\u00a0\u2013 due to\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o conditions. The El Ni\u00f1o is expected to last at least until May, which is significantly impacting the harvest season and exacerbating concerns over food security as Ethiopia heads into the lean season. The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that a well-coordinated response is underway. The scale of this growing crisis continues to outpace the aid available in the region despite local and international assistance. Transportation and WASH infrastructure continue to be barriers to relief.
\nPakistan\u00a0\u2013 Flooding
\nHeavy rain continues to affect several areas of Pakistan. At least 80 people are dead, 102 were injured, and 258 homes have been damaged inFATA,\u00a0Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,\u00a0Balochistan and Punjab as well as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as of March 21. Rescue operations are underway for those who are stranded in the northwest part of the country.
\nSyria\u00a0\u2013 Civil War
\nThe Syrian Conflict continues into its sixth year this month.\u00a0The cessation of hostilities brokered by the U.S. and Russia began on Feb. 27, and has drastically reduced the death toll over the past month\u00a0despite various small violations of the agreement.\u00a0Lack of humanitarian access remains a major issue. As of February, 13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid;\u00a012.1 million\u00a0people do not have access to clean water,\u00a02.4 million\u00a0people are in need of shelter, and 11.5 million\u00a0are in need of healthcare, with just 43 percent of healthcare facilities operational at this time. Airlink is not involved in delivery of direct aid to Syria at this time due to humanitarian access issues.
\nYemen\u00a0\u2013 Civil War
\nOngoing conflict is devastating the Yemeni population\u00a0\u2013 an estimated 82 percent (21.2 million people) require humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs. Food insecurity and lack of access to clean water, hygiene supplies, and healthcare\u00a0remain constant struggles. Over the last year, an estimated 2.4 million people have been displaced, 50 percent of whom originate from the most conflict-affected areas of Yemen. Access to airports at the capital, Sana’a, and the port of Aden remains a challenging logistical hurdle; Airlink is not currently involved in direct delivery of aid to Yemen due to humanitarian access issues.
\nTo lend your support, either in the form of a direct monetary donation or a donation of frequent flyer miles,\u00a0visit the Airlink\u00a0website.
\nSource: aircargoworld<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The crucial role airlift plays in expedited delivery is not limited to global trade, but is also of great significance to humanitarian relief. \u00a0Air Cargo World\u2019s publisher, Royal Media, has, for some time, supported the efforts of Airlink, a leading rapid-response relief organization that links commercial and charter airlines within its network to pre-qualified nonprofits[…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1333,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-1332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-airport-code"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.actlogistics.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}