A chartered Boeing 747-400F flew to neighbouring Santo Domingo from the United Arab Emirates last Friday (19 February) on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme. The aircraft carried 14 Land Cruiser pick-up vehicles, loaded bumper-to-bumper on the main deck, together with generators and toilets.  All relief supplies came from the International Humanitarian City in Dubai.

Air Partner Director of Group Freight, Richard Smith, said:  “Take off and landing slots are restricted for wide-body aircraft at Port-au-Prince as they’re mainly being allocated to military traffic. As a result, we flew into the Dominican Republic, via Amsterdam, enabling us to get items delivered as quickly as possible. Supplies were then transferred to Haiti by the UN using ground transport.”

Meanwhile, Air Partner’s Florida office in the US continues to organise frequent flights on a BAE Jetstream 31 regional aircraft, carrying doctors and medical supplies between Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince on behalf of a US development bank. 

Air Partner offices worldwide have played a role in coming to Haiti’s aid in the wake of the devastation that beset the country on January 12.  Last month the Group arranged numerous humanitarian aid relief flights carrying vital cargo, medical personnel and support workers.

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.