Emirates has started emergency relief flights to earthquake stricken sites in southern Turkey and hard-hit cities in Syria.
In coordination with International Humanitarian City (IHC), the flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Istanbul Airport (IST) were arranged to carry urgent relief supplies, medical items and equipment to support on-ground aid efforts and search and rescue activities in both countries.
The first shipments were launched on February 10, 2023 on EK 121 and EK 117, carrying high thermal blankets and family tents from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), followed by World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) relief cargo of medical kits and shelter items.
Emirates said that more consignments of blankets, tents, shelter kits, flash lights, water distribution ramps and trauma and emergency health kits will be transported to Istanbul in the following days.
“We stand with the Turkish and Syrian people and are working with experts like the International Humanitarian City to help provide urgent relief to those affected and displaced by the earthquakes, as well as support the complex recovery efforts on the ground,” HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and chief executive said in a statement.
Emirates SkyCargo also plans to dedicate cargo space for around 100 tons of humanitarian relief goods over the course of the next two weeks across its daily flight operations to Istanbul.
The emergency supplies carried on Emirates will then be delivered by local organizations to affected areas in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Emirates’ freight division has a long-standing partnership with the IHC, enabling the airline to quickly lead on numerous relief missions, and to deploy humanitarian supplies worldwide.