In the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Emirates is setting up an airbridge with the International Humanitarian City (IHC) to transport relief supplies, medical items, and equipment to support on-ground aid efforts and search and rescue activities in both countries.
The first shipments went out by two flights on February 10, consisted of high thermal blankets and family tents from UNHCR, followed by World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) relief cargo of medical kits and shelter items, coordinated by the IHC in Dubai, said a press release.
Emirates SkyCargo, a freighter division of the airline, plans to dedicate cargo space for around 100 tonnes of humanitarian relief goods over the course of the next two weeks across its daily flight operations to Istanbul. The airline operates three flights a day to Turkey.
The freight division of Emirates has a long-standing partnership with the IHC, enabling the airline to nimbly and quickly lead on numerous relief missions, deploying humanitarian supplies to communities around the world impacted by natural disasters, medical emergencies, global outbreaks, and other crises.
In 2020, the airline facilitated relief efforts in Lebanon in the aftermath of the Port of Beirut blasts. In 2021, the Emirates set up a humanitarian airbridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical and relief items to support the country in containing the COVID-19 outbreak. Last year, the airline offered cargo capacity to organisations working with the IHC to transport critical equipment and supplies directly to five cities in Pakistan devastated by flooding.
