Aviation and Türkiye-Syria earthquake relief efforts

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed its deep condolences to the people of Türkiye and Syria who have been affected by the devastating earthquake in the region.

IATA highlighted the important contributions from the aviation industry to the relief effort both with the immediate search-and-rescue efforts and for long-term humanitarian aid.

This tragedy has deeply moved us and the world.

On behalf of IATA member airlines, they express their deep sorrow to the people of Türkiye and Syria. Their thoughts are with all those who are impacted by this horrific event.

They salute the heroic efforts of the rescue workers who have saved many people and continue to search for and look after survivors.

Aviation is playing a major role in supporting these efforts and in delivering the humanitarian aid that will be critical in sustaining people through the recovery, said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

In addition to the tremendous endeavors being undertaken by our members in the affected regions—namely Corendon Airlines, Freebird Airlines, MNG Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, SunExpress, SyrianAir and Turkish Airlines—airlines globally are making individual efforts to transport equipment, aid, and specialist personnel to the affected areas.

Some of the airlines involved include:

Aegean Airlines

Azerbaijan Airlines

El Al

Emirates

Euroatlantic Airways

FedEx

FlyBaghdad

KamAir

Lufthansa Cargo

Middle East Airlines – Air Liban

Mongolian Airlines

Pakistan International Airlines

Qatar Airways Cargo

Saudia Cargo

Smartwings Group

Wamos Air

Airlink provides a good example of how the aviation sector is responding to the crisis.

A non-profit organization specialized in crisis response and logistics, Airlink coordinates donated airline resources and NGO needs in times of crisis. 

Working with a growing list of some 19 airlines, Airlink is supporting the work of nearly 50 NGOs active in the crisis and already has a pipeline nearing 450,000 kg of humanitarian cargo that it is aiming to transport to the affected areas.

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