Air Canada, Airlink, Flexport.org and GlobalMedic Send Aid and Medical Supplies to Support Ukrainian Refugees on Second Special Humanitarian Flight
  • Air Canada employee volunteers packed emergency food kits and other response supplies destined for Ukraine

MONTREAL, April 26, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada's Boeing 767-300 freighter aircraft departed last night from Toronto to Frankfurt, transporting humanitarian and medical aid on behalf of Airlink, Flexport.org and GlobalMedic. 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.

"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 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 onboard 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 supporting 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
About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from the independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which in 2021 also named Air Canada as having the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, as well as an Excellence award for its handling of COVID-19. Also in 2021, Air Canada was named Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America for the third straight year. In January 2021, Air Canada received APEX's Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in Canada to attain the highest APEX ranking. Air Canada has also committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.

About Airlink

Airlink is a global humanitarian organization delivering critical aid to communities in crisis by providing airlift and logistical solutions to nonprofit partners, changing the way the humanitarian community responds to disasters around the world. Airlink exists to help remove the cost of air transportation as a barrier to NGOs responding to disasters and other humanitarian crises. Its network includes more than 130 aid organizations and 50 commercial and charter airlines. Since its inception in 2010, Airlink has flown more than 8,000 relief workers and transported nearly 5,000,000 pounds of humanitarian cargo. In 2021 the humanitarian aid Airlink delivered assisted 7.8 million people. For more information, please visit www.airlinkflight.org. Follow Airlink on Facebook and Twitter.

About GlobalMedic

GlobalMedic is a registered Canadian charity that runs capacity-building programs and provides disaster relief services to large-scale catastrophes around the world. GlobalMedic has responded to 240 disasters in 80 countries, including earthquakes in Ecuador, Haiti, Japan and Nepal; tsunamis in Japan and Sri Lanka; typhoons in the Philippines and Taiwan; hurricanes in Grenada and Guatemala; cyclones in India, Myanmar, Vanuatu and Mozambique; floods in Bangladesh, Mexico and Pakistan; drought and famine in Kenya and Mauritania; epidemics in Liberia and Sierra Leone; and complex emergencies in Gaza, Iraq, Mali, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. GlobalMedic has been working in Ukraine since 2014, supporting those affected or displaced by increasing conflict in the east of the country. GlobalMedic teams distributed hygiene items, food packages, first aid kits, and household water purification units to vulnerable families. In 2019, GlobalMedic also established a food security and employment creation program to support internally displaced persons in the country.

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