MONTREAL, Jan. 30 /CNW Telbec/ - The departure this morning of flight AC2150 to Port-au-Prince marks the third humanitarian flight undertaken by Air Canada stocked with medical and other urgent supplies in support of Haiti relief efforts. The flight to Port-au-Prince is coordinated with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Health Partners International Canada, The ONEXONE Foundation, OXFAM and UNICEF among others.

Over the course of Air Canada's three relief missions, Air Canada will have delivered close to 100 tonnes of relief supplies to Haiti.

"In addition to our relief partners, Air Canada wishes to acknowledge Nav Canada, the GTAA, the Ottawa International Airport Authority, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) and CARA who have provided invaluable support for our three humanitarian relief flights to date," said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Air Canada. "With frigid weather scheduled upon arrival in Ottawa, we are also grateful for the donation of warm clothes for the evacuees and adoptees from Louis Garneau, Mini Souris, Magasins Clément, Roots Canada and the Hudson's Bay Company. In addition, we also wish to express our gratitude to Under Armor for providing shoes for an orphanage in Haiti, Canadian Tire for sending down tents and sleeping bags, as well Pepsico and the Coca Cola Company for providing water and goods for distribution to the victims of the earthquake."

All available space in the belly and in the passenger cabin of the Airbus A330 aircraft will be used to transport 35,000 kgs of medical supplies, food, water, tents and sleeping bags, for Health Partners International Canada, UNICEF, OXFAM and goods for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Embassy.

The donated Air Canada aircraft and volunteer crew departed Saturday morning at approximately 02:30 ET from the carrier's cargo facilities in Toronto, with an expected arrival time in Port-au-Prince of 07:00 ET. The return flight, AC2151, scheduled to arrive in Ottawa later Saturday at approximately 15:30 ET, will be used to transport adoptees and evacuees, in collaboration with DFAIT and the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

In addition, all proceeds from Air Canada's on-board donation program, Every Bit Counts, will be directed to registered relief agencies in support of Haiti.

Air Canada, through its community investment program Kids' Horizons, has committed to undertake a long-term humanitarian project with a Canadian charity to assist children in Haiti as part of the re-building efforts that will be necessary.