Chapman Freeborn, the global air charter specialist and part of Avia Solutions Group, has chartered numerous flights from across the world to deliver humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the 6 February 2023.
A second earthquake hit Turkey on the 20 February, two weeks after the first quake, which currently had a death toll of over 47,000, with thousands more people missing and millions displaced.
Chapman Freeborn’s humanitarian team has worked around the clock to source and secure aircraft in what has become a volatile market with ever-dwindling capacities. They have overcome these challenges and successfully chartered aid flights to the affected regions from the USA, UAE, Germany, Spain, Belgium, India, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Singapore and the Philippines.
Neil Dursley, Group CCO, commented, “The tragic situation in Turkey and Syria is heart-breaking. The Chapman Freeborn Emergency Response Team was activated immediately upon learning of the initial huge earthquake; I was travelling in Dubai at the time and met with Giuseppe Saba, CEO of International Humanitarian City to discuss the situation and how we could assist.
“Chapman Freeborn is pleased to support many governments and humanitarian organisations (NGOs), and I’m proud to say that we have the most caring and supportive team in the industry who go above and beyond 24 hours a day, every day of the week to ensure emergency aid reaches the populations of these seriously impacted countries.”
Many years of civil war has rendered delivering cargo to Syria very challenging, however Chapman Freeborn’s expert team has navigated embargoes and closed borders to ensure the aid reaches the people who need it most, also coordinating its onward passage.
The team has utilised their expertise and experience to gain the necessary land permits, flyover rights and approvals from the Syrian Civilian Aviation Authority and the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, resulting in thousands of tonnes of aid reaching the population.
David Tasker, Group Director – Government & Humanitarian, said, “The worldwide compassion expressed following this disaster just underlines all that is good amongst the human race. The whole aviation industry and associated industries were quick to react, with Chapman Freeborn proud to be at the forefront with their support. Our teams work relentlessly to help those in need, and the efforts of the whole industry must be commended. We will of course continue to support people in the affected regions over the coming weeks and months.”
Chapman Freeborn has been an integral part of the humanitarian efforts for every major global crisis over the past 50 years, providing solutions for airlifts, airdropping, search and rescue flights, evacuations and repatriations.
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