Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Taking the world under their wings

It was not just Dubai-based Emirates Airlines that was keenly awaiting the arrival of its 98th Airbus A380 test flight on October 9 last year – those with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in the city were hoping that the aircraft would reach sooner as they were awaiting the 1,020 tarpaulins and ropes that the aircraft was carrying.

These goods, which are among the 10 most-needed immediate humanitarian aid items, were meant to create temporary shelters for 500 displaced families in crisis-hit areas.
This was not just a one-off goodwill or delivery flight – since 2013, 125 tonnes of goods have been transported as humanitarian aid as. part of a cooperation between Emirates Airlines and Airbus Foundation to utilise A380 Emirates deliveries for transporting humanitarian aid to UNHRD.

Airbus organised the first goodwill flight in November 2008, with an A330, for Avianca, and the aircraft manufacturer organised its first relief flight using an Airbus-owned test aircraft in November 2009, with an A380, to Dubai Humanitarian City.

As of November 30, 2017, Airbus’ last delivery goodwill flights were organised with Air Mauritius and Air Cote d’Ivoire.

An Airbus spokesperson told BusinessLine that till November 30, 2017, the aircraft manufacturer had organised 64 goodwill and relief flights, which helped transport 800 tonnes (800,000 kg) and 400 personnel, such as aid workers and relief staff, to areas struck by natural disasters.
Like Airbus, the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, too, has been using its flights for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Since October 1992, when the first Humanitarian Delivery Flight with World Concerns and Ethiopian Airlines took off, almost 200 flights have been organised, helping transport 1.6 million pounds of supplies (almost 720,000 kg), a Boeing spokesperson told BusinessLine.

The idea of starting goodwill flights was first conceived by Boeing’s Customer Relations team to help customers better assist their local communities.

And it was also obvious to Airbus’ teams at the Flight Test Department and the Customer Delivery Department that the full transport capacity of a customer aircraft, and its own test aircraft, could be used for humanitarian flights.

“The airline customers decide if they would like to use their delivery flights to carry humanitarian goods. Then Boeing works to connect them with non-profits and to assist with logistics,” the Boeing spokesperson added.
23/01/18 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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