Airlink's Airlift Ukraine - Flights to Deliver Aid

From the onset of Russia's invasion in late February 2022, Airlink has mounted a rapid and sustained response to match the scale of the humanitarian need in Ukraine and surrounding countries. Thanks to sustained support from our airline and logistics partners, Airlink has moved nearly 600 tons of critical aid and more than 500 responders for aid agencies and their community partners in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary. In addition, Airlink has worked to foster collaboration within the NGO community throughout this emergency, convening 5 coordination calls that linked 128 participants across 63 nonprofits. In the early months of the conflict, the organization launched three multi-agency charter flights in partnership with two airlines to accommodate large shipments of critical aid. As the war has continued, Airlink has used existing commercial capacity on an almost exclusive basis to mobilize aid across more than 70 shipments for nonprofit partners. This approach has allowed Airlink to leverage economies of scale to give multiple organizations access to efficient, fast transportation for their relief supplies—at no cost to them—while also ensuring commercial aircraft fly full. Airlink will continue to support programs to assist those displaced in Ukraine and surrounding countries for as long as airlift and logistics services are needed by nonprofit partners.

 Our Response: Region-Wide Impact

UKRAINE

With some 6.6 million people internally displaced within Ukraine, Airlink and its NGO partners are taking on the herculean task of assisting those affected with access to healthcare, clean water, hygiene items, food, emergency telecommunications, and more—in the midst of a constantlyshifting conflict.

Long delays continue to plague trucking into and within the country, and fighting in the southern and eastern parts of the country cuts off communities from needed supplies for weeks at a time. At the same time, areas reclaimed by Ukrainian defense forces are in need of medical resupply, rebuilding, and winterizing assistance.

Despite the myriad challenges of responding in a conflict setting, Airlink and its partners have reached nearly 70 communities - from major cities to small villages - throughout Ukraine. Thanks to Aeromexico, Air Canada, Amerijet, American Airlines, British Airways, Flexport.org, SEKO Logistics, United Airlines, UPS Foundation, and Virgin Atlantic, Airlink has flown 317 tons of supplies—including two multi-agency charters launched in March filled with medical and hygiene supplies—and more than 100 responders into surrounding countries and crossed the border into Ukraine.

In the coming months, more shipments - including food, hygiene items, and medical aid - and teams of responders will arrive, reaching more communities in need. In June, Airlink kicked off a 12-week airlift program in partnership with Air Canada and GlobalMedic to provide health and WASH supplies to locations throughout Ukraine, as well as address food security needs in neighboring Moldova; this program is expected to last at least through September

MOLDOVA

One of Europe's poorest countries, the Republic of Moldova has a resident population of just 2.6 million people and has accepted more than 417,000 refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war.

Of the countries hosting refugees, Moldova has the highest ratio of Ukrainian refugees to resident population. The influx of refugees has caused a large burden on the country, which previously suffered from a lack of access to health care due to a weak national public health system.

In March 2022, working with Flexport.org, Airlink launched a 747 freighter filled with needed medical supplies. Since then, Airlink has worked with American Airlines, Air Canada, and United Airlines, to support the refugee relief effort in three locations in Moldova—including airlift of 73 responders and 132 tons of aid—helping organizations provide food, medical assistance, psychosocial support, and access to clean water for Ukrainians in the country.

As part of a 12-week airlift program in partnership with Air Canada, Airlink is working with GlobalMedic to send bi-weekly shipments of food aid to Chisinau to support refugees who have settled there.

POLAND

In addition to the more than 6 million people displaced, more than 6.7 million Ukrainians have fled the country and dispersed throughout Europe—with the majority settling in Poland. Many of Airlink's partners operating in Poland have launched traditional refugee response operations in the country, providing those fleeing Ukraine with hygiene kits, food, psychosocial and general medical care, and economic support to Ukrainians at congregate shelters and refugee reception centers.

Powered by miles contributions from United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage members, as well as donated cargo space from these airlines, Airlink has mobilized nearly 200 responders and 84 tons of aid to support the refugee relief effort. Among these efforts was a large shipment of food aid, sent in partnership with the Tzu Chi Foundation from Taiwan, which helped nearly 25,000 Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

As welcoming as neighboring countries can be, a large influx of people can put a strain on host communities over time. Even as some displaced Ukrainians return home, there continues to be a need for NGO personnel to provide relevant and dignified support to refugees, including access to healthcare, long-term shelter, and cash assistance programming. Airlink will continue to provide flights for skilled responders and material aid that cannot be procured locally for as long as is needed.

Links:

• Full 6-Month Report