Air Partner offices worldwide have come to the aid of earthquake-stricken Haiti, arranging a number of humanitarian aid relief flights carrying vital cargo, medical personnel and support workers.

Today the company, one of the world’s leading air charter brokers, will fly some 38.5 tonnes of supplies to the country, departing from Brindisi Airport in Italy.  Its UK-based freight team arranged for a commercial MD-11 aircraft to transport kitchen sets, generators, water tanks, blankets, tents, plastic rolls, latrines, trauma kits, energy biscuits and emergency health kits to support relief efforts after the recent devastation.

 

As this is a transatlantic operation, Air Partner chose to work with a carrier that will be able to leave Port-au-Prince airport as quickly as possible after delivery of the cargo in order to meet flight crew duty time rules.  Speed of departure is also necessary to make room for other relief flights using the airport, where facilities are not fully functional. 

 

Air Partner in Florida has also been busy organising, on behalf of a US development bank, a series of flights on a BAE Jetstream 31 regional aircraft, carrying doctors and medical supplies between Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and Port-au-Prince.  It also dispatched a freight flight yesterday from Miami to Santo Domingo carrying generators and broadcast equipment for a relief organisation.

 

Richard Smith, Director of Group Freight said: “Several of our offices are actively working with the humanitarian agencies of many nations to provide urgent transportation of personnel and relief goods to Haiti.  The charters operated so far have been some of the first into the country and we hope to assist in providing vitally needed transportation for as long as required.”

 

Air Partner has more than 20 offices around the world and considerable experience arranging repatriation and relief flights in times of natural disasters.  Now in its 49th year of operation, the company is a trusted partner working with the UN, EU, NATO and leading non-government agencies such as the Red Cross.

 

Air Partner has played a vital role assisting victims in every kind of natural and man-made disaster arranging flights to Sudan, Chad, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.  Its operational planning skills and the expertise of its staff mean that Air Partner can arrange flexible rapid deployments into difficult and hostile areas.