Airbus A340 flight test aircraft en route from Lyon with 28 logistics and rescue specialists on board plus nearly 30 tonnes of humanitarian goods facilitated by ‘Action Contre la Faim’
Delivery Flight of Philippine Airlines’ newest Airbus A321 with medical team and 11 tonnes of relief goods dispatched from Hamburg tonight by Humedica
November 8, the Philippines have been struck by one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded. The storm ‘Haiyan” has torn through the central islands of Samar, Leyte and other provinces in the Visayas region of the Philippines, decimating entire towns, leaving behind a mass of mud and debris, thousands of dead bodies and thousands of survivors without food, water and shelter.
The Airbus Corporate Foundation is currently coordinating several humanitarian relief aid missions.
An Airbus A340-300 test flight aircraft left Lyon, France at 7:45 this morning, for Cebu, Philippines with 28 logistics and emergency rescue specialists on board plus nearly 30 tonnes of water purification equipment and energy biscuits, destined for the victims of the Haiyan typhoon in the Philippines. This relief mission has been jointly organised with Action Contre la Faim (ACF). The aircraft is scheduled to arrive on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. locally.
In addition a delivery-flight of an all new A321 to Philippine Airlines is being used to send a medical team of 10 doctors and nurses as well as 11 tonnes of medical equipment and food to Tacloban via Manila, Philippines. This help has been facilitated together with the Foundation partners Philippine Airlines, Humedica e.V. and Kühne & Nagel. The flight will leave the Airbus site in Hamburg, Germany, this Friday evening and is expected to arrive at Manila Capital airport on Saturday 8:30 p.m. local time. The medical personnel and goods will then be transported by an onward flight to Tacloban.
”The Philippines have been struck by a true human disaster and it is natural that we look at all possibilities about how we can contribute in facilitating relief in this tragic situation quickly and efficiently”, says Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO and Chairman of the Airbus Foundation. ”It fills me with gratitude and pride to see our teams being engaged so strongly with our Foundation Partners to work towards this common objective, and I wish to thank everybody involved.”
Jean-Baptiste Lamarche, Logistics Director ACF, stated: “This partnership is very valuable to ACF. As one of our privileged logistics partners, Airbus helps us to intervene rapidly and efficiently during emergency situations, like after the natural disasters in Haiti in 2010, and recently in the Philippines. This logistical support allows us fulfill our mission, which consists in saving lives and helping the most vulnerable.”
„We are very grateful for this opportunity to quickly bring further aid to Tacloban“; said Wolfgang Gross, Managing Director of Humedica e.V. “By now we have twelve medical specialists in Tacloban who are working non-stop and urgently need further support and medical goods.”
The Airbus Corporate Foundation has completed 34 relief or goodwill flights to destinations around the globe to date and has built up a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support international humanitarian causes.
About Action against Hunger:
Action Against Hunger specialises in emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster. Their program areas include nutrition and health, water and sanitation, and food security and they serve more than 6 million people in over 40 countries. The Airbus Corporate Foundation and Action Against Hunger have been working together since 2009 and have coordinated many missions, including to Haiti in 2010. More information under: www.actioncontrelafaim.org/en/
About Humedica:
humedica e. V. is an international non-governmental organization (NGO). Carrying out projects in 90 countries worldwide since 1979, humedica provides humanitarian work with a focal point on medical aid. More information under www.humedica.org
About the Airbus Corporate Foundation
The Airbus Corporate Foundation was created in December 2008 to facilitate charitable activities worldwide within an international network of employees and partners. The organisation focuses its support on three themes: humanitarian and community support, youth development and the environment.
In recent years, the Airbus Corporate Foundation has built up a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support international humanitarian missions. Delivery flights of new to be delivered aircraft have been used on numerous occasions to transport goods to destinations in need all over the world. More information on www.airbuscorporatefoundation.com.
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