Emirates has set up a humanitarian airlift between Dubai and India to transport medical and emergency relief items, to support India in its fight to control the serious Covid-19 situation in the country. Emirates will offer free cargo capacity on an “as-available” basis on all of its flights to nine cities in India, to help international NGOs quickly get relief supplies to where they are needed.

In recent weeks, Emirates SkyCargo has already transported drugs and medical equipment on scheduled and charter freight flights to India. This latest airlift initiative takes Emirates’ support to India and the NGO community to the next level. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President and CEO of Emirates, said: “India and the Emirates have been deeply linked since our first flights to India in 1985. We support the Indian people and will do everything our best to help India return. on his feet. Emirates has extensive experience in humanitarian relief efforts, and with 95 weekly flights to 9 destinations in India, we will provide a steady and reliable capacity of relief supplies.

Dubai International Humanitarian City is the largest emergency relief center in the world and we will work closely with them to facilitate the flow of urgent medical supplies. The first shipment of the Emirates India Humanitarian Airlift is a shipment of over 12 tonnes of World Health Organization (WHO) multipurpose tents to Delhi and coordinated by IHC in Dubai .

Giuseppe Saba, CEO of International Humanitarian City, said: “The creation of the humanitarian airlift between Dubai and India, facilitated by Emirates SkyCargo, Dubai International Humanitarian City and United Nations agencies, to transport medical items and emergency relief, is another example of His Highness. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision for IHC, coming to fruition. Last year, more than 1,292 consignments were dispatched from IHC to Dubai, setting the standard for humanitarian response globally. We appreciate the tremendous efforts of IHC’s partner, Emirates SkyCargo, to establish this humanitarian airlift between Dubai and India at this time of need. “

Emirates’ freight division has established a close partnership with IHC, developed over several years of delivering relief supplies to communities around the world affected by natural disasters and other crises. IHC will support Emirates SkyCargo in channeling relief efforts to India via the airlift. Following the Beirut Port tragedy in August 2020, Emirates also used its expertise in humanitarian logistics to set up an airlift to Lebanon to support relief efforts. Emirates has led the aviation and air cargo industry in its efforts to help markets around the world fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The air cargo carrier has helped transport thousands of tons of PPE and other urgently needed medical supplies to six continents over the past year by rapidly adapting its business model and introducing additional cargo capacity thanks to modified mini-freighters with retired economy class seats on Boeing 777- 300ER passenger aircraft; as well as loading cargo on seats and in overhead compartments inside passenger planes to transport urgently needed materials. In addition, Emirates SkyCargo has partnered with UNICEF and other entities in Dubai through the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance, to quickly transport Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries via Dubai.

So far, nearly 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been carried on Emirates flights, which is equivalent to nearly 1 in 20 of all doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered globally. Through its regular cargo flights – to approximately – 140 destinations on six continents, Emirates maintains uninterrupted supply chains for vital commodities such as medical supplies and food.