Air Canada, Airlink, Flexport.org, GlobalMedic send aid to Ukraine

Air Canada's Boeing 767-300 freighter aircraft departed on Tuesday night from Toronto to Frankfurt, transporting humanitarian and medical aid on behalf of Airlink, Flexport.org, and Global Medic. The flight carried aid including medical and trauma supplies, water purification, and sanitation kits destined for an area north of Lviv, Ukraine.

After the flight arrives, Airlink's NGO partner GlobalMedic will have response teams manage the distribution of supplies to treat Ukrainian civilians who have been displaced by the conflict, whose homes have been destroyed, and those injured, expanding the capacity of hospitals in border regions to provide care.

"Together with our employees, we are humbled to continue our support for the people affected by the Ukraine crisis. One hundred Air Canada employees volunteered their time yesterday to pack emergency family food kits being sent by GlobalMedic, and we are proud to use our freighter to transport 50 tonnes of aid which includes these important response tools together with critical medical and humanitarian supplies for Airlink and Flexport.org quickly to Europe. Airlink's and GlobalMedic's infrastructure and teams on the ground meeting our flight then ensure that the shipments get to their destinations right after our flight arrives," said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo at Air Canada.

"Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people in need. By utilizing our 767-300 freighter aircraft and Air Canada Cargo's global network, we are able to carry important humanitarian aid to those affected efficiently, and importantly, with GlobalMedic's infrastructure on the ground, the aid is delivered to impacted areas quickly," said Sebastian Cosgrove, Director, Global Customer Service at Air Canada Cargo.

"The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Ukraine. Co-operation and coordination are critical to overcoming the supply chain challenges that have arisen responding to this crisis, and for the second time since the war began this partnership has proved itself a very effective one," said Steve Smith Airlink President and CEO. "Airlink is delighted to be working in partnership with Air Canada, GlobalMedic, and Flexport.org again to bring aid to the people of Ukraine."

"One of the biggest challenges in humanitarian relief efforts is the successful coordination of aid. Yet once again – our partnership with Air Canada and Airlink, and most recently GlobalMedic – demonstrates the value of logistics providers and humanitarian aid organizations coming together for a collective impact. Through this partnership, we're able to deliver 100,000 pounds of critical aid, including water purification systems, emergency food supplies, and trauma kits, to those displaced by the crisis unfolding in Ukraine," said Susy Schöneberg, Head of Flexport.org.

"GlobalMedic is grateful to Airlink for coordinating this flight and to Air Canada for flying the mission. This flight will carry about 100,000 pounds of life-saving humanitarian assistance that will be distributed to displaced families fleeing the fighting in Ukraine. The cargo will contain 6,400 Family Emergency Kits. Each kit comes with emergency food items, a solar light, water purification tablets, and a trauma bag. The items are packed in sealed buckets that are used to collect water to purify and drink," said Rahul Singh, Executive Director of GlobalMedic.

Non-profit disaster logistics expert Airlink exists to help remove the cost of air transportation as a barrier to NGOs responding to disasters and other humanitarian crises. It was able to use its long-term partnership with Air Canada, the visibility and seamless coordination provided by the Flexport platform, and support from donors, to secure the cargo-only flight making the delivery of this shipment possible. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Airlink also has transported more than 135 tonnes of aid and 221 relief workers for 20 non-profit organizations providing medical care, food, mental health counseling, clean water, and other essentials to Ukrainian refugees.

The second humanitarian cargo flight is Air Canada's most recent initiative supporting the crisis in Ukraine. Previous initiatives include:
-Donation of 100 million Aeroplan Points to facilitate the travel of Ukrainians to Canada on board Air Canada and Star Alliance partner airlines
-Donation of $10 per booking made on Air Canada's website starting March 22 for a total donation of $250,000 to Ukraine relief aid
-Air Canada employees and the Air Canada Foundation donation of $170,000 to support Ukraine relief aid
-On March 9, Air Canada-operated humanitarian special cargo flight on behalf of Airlink and other aid partners transport hospital beds, humanitarian and medical supplies to Warsaw, Poland and medicines destined for Lviv, Ukraine
-Transportation of rapid response teams to scale up operations in Europe to help arriving Ukrainian families.