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Airlines play pivotal role in global humanitarian relief efforts
来源： 编辑：编辑部 发布：2018/04/11 10:00:51
THIS year 135 million people are estimated to require humanitarian assistance, placing a heavy burden on airlines to play their part. Throughout 2018, an estimated US$22.5 billion worth of supplies will be required.
According to the Global Humanitarian Overview the provision of relief in a fast, secure and cost-effective manner is the product of painstaking global cooperation between aid agencies and organisations. Perfecting humanitarian response plans is a work in progress.
The aviation industry plays a vital role in the delivery of food, medical supplies and shelter materials. Air services are particularly crucial in situations when crumbling infrastructure or ongoing conflict cuts off ground access to entire regions, London's Airport Technology reported.
"The primary role that aviation plays in humanitarian emergency response is moving supplies very quickly from hubs where there are pre-positioned supplies of goods, such as Dubai, Panama or west Africa, where nations, together with partners and non-governmental organisations stockpile largely shelter items," saidHumanitarian Logistics Association chief executive George Fenton.
Currently, the world's leading humanitarian airline is the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the World Food Programme (WFP). Operating 70 chartered aircraft, UNHAS serves 300 regular destinations in 19 countries.
Many of UNHAS's interventions last year were carried out in South Sudan, where a decades-old humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Mr Fenton describes this as one of the "forgotten emergencies" due to scarce media coverage. Today, seven million people are identified as needing assistance across the country.
"Roads cannot be accessed, and the fighting is making them too dangerous to travel by," he said. "The whole country is at war and access is extremely difficult. Logistically, it's a hugely challenging environment and there's no end in sight."
The WFP conducts massive airdrop operations above civilian camps such as Bentiu in the northwest of South Sudan. By operating eight aircraft carrying 30 tons each, they drop approximately 10 tons of food at a time just outside the camp every day, as part of an operation that costs $1 billion a year.
However, airdrops are rare and only used as a last resort, due to the huge costs involved.
A more standard procedure will see airports in countries most prone to natural disasters undergo preparedness and capability training under the Getting Airports Ready for Disaster programme jointly run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Germany's Deutsche Post DHL Group.
This means that when disaster strikes, airports and their staff are ready to become points of contact for rescuers and relief supplies, cargo deliveries and refugee transfers.
Another initiative that aims to strengthen coordination across sectors is Airlink, started in 2010 by the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading Foundation.
Airlink brings together 35 commercial and charter airlines and 80 international non-profits, including major partners such as Boeing, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Paul G Allen Family Foundation to make "the response more efficient and effective."
"There are challenges with coordination between different entities sending cargo, there are challenges with the costs involved with customs," Mr Fenton pointed out. "Nepal is a very good example of customs challenges, where there isn't enough information available for the organisations sending goods. They might frequently send packages that may not be accepted because of local customs regulations."
This is where HLA comes in. "We would be creating an international community practice consisting of certified professionals and logisticians," Mr Fenton explained.
"We also want to be able to build up a body of knowledge and act as a neutral platform for knowledge sharing about humanitarian logistics that can be accessed by all different types of stakeholders that may be involved or responding to disasters."
In October last year HLA announced a partnership with Neutral Air Partner, which has joined the association as one of its first corporate members. Founded in Hong Kong, Neutral Air Partner brings together 90 like-minded air cargo specialists from 85 countries, making it one of the largest air cargo providers worldwide in terms of tonnage and revenue.
A second partnership, unveiled in February, brought on board Volga-Dnepr Group, which operates a combined fleet of 41 cargo aircraft worldwide.
According to the Global Humanitarian Overview the provision of relief in a fast, secure and cost-effective manner is the product of painstaking global cooperation between aid agencies and organisations. Perfecting humanitarian response plans is a work in progress.
The aviation industry plays a vital role in the delivery of food, medical supplies and shelter materials. Air services are particularly crucial in situations when crumbling infrastructure or ongoing conflict cuts off ground access to entire regions, London's Airport Technology reported.
"The primary role that aviation plays in humanitarian emergency response is moving supplies very quickly from hubs where there are pre-positioned supplies of goods, such as Dubai, Panama or west Africa, where nations, together with partners and non-governmental organisations stockpile largely shelter items," saidHumanitarian Logistics Association chief executive George Fenton.
Currently, the world's leading humanitarian airline is the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the World Food Programme (WFP). Operating 70 chartered aircraft, UNHAS serves 300 regular destinations in 19 countries.
Many of UNHAS's interventions last year were carried out in South Sudan, where a decades-old humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Mr Fenton describes this as one of the "forgotten emergencies" due to scarce media coverage. Today, seven million people are identified as needing assistance across the country.
"Roads cannot be accessed, and the fighting is making them too dangerous to travel by," he said. "The whole country is at war and access is extremely difficult. Logistically, it's a hugely challenging environment and there's no end in sight."
The WFP conducts massive airdrop operations above civilian camps such as Bentiu in the northwest of South Sudan. By operating eight aircraft carrying 30 tons each, they drop approximately 10 tons of food at a time just outside the camp every day, as part of an operation that costs $1 billion a year.
However, airdrops are rare and only used as a last resort, due to the huge costs involved.
A more standard procedure will see airports in countries most prone to natural disasters undergo preparedness and capability training under the Getting Airports Ready for Disaster programme jointly run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Germany's Deutsche Post DHL Group.
This means that when disaster strikes, airports and their staff are ready to become points of contact for rescuers and relief supplies, cargo deliveries and refugee transfers.
Another initiative that aims to strengthen coordination across sectors is Airlink, started in 2010 by the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading Foundation.
Airlink brings together 35 commercial and charter airlines and 80 international non-profits, including major partners such as Boeing, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Paul G Allen Family Foundation to make "the response more efficient and effective."
"There are challenges with coordination between different entities sending cargo, there are challenges with the costs involved with customs," Mr Fenton pointed out. "Nepal is a very good example of customs challenges, where there isn't enough information available for the organisations sending goods. They might frequently send packages that may not be accepted because of local customs regulations."
This is where HLA comes in. "We would be creating an international community practice consisting of certified professionals and logisticians," Mr Fenton explained.
"We also want to be able to build up a body of knowledge and act as a neutral platform for knowledge sharing about humanitarian logistics that can be accessed by all different types of stakeholders that may be involved or responding to disasters."
In October last year HLA announced a partnership with Neutral Air Partner, which has joined the association as one of its first corporate members. Founded in Hong Kong, Neutral Air Partner brings together 90 like-minded air cargo specialists from 85 countries, making it one of the largest air cargo providers worldwide in terms of tonnage and revenue.
A second partnership, unveiled in February, brought on board Volga-Dnepr Group, which operates a combined fleet of 41 cargo aircraft worldwide.