Air, Feature, Freight News

Air Charter Service comes to Yemen aid

[ August 27, 2015   //   Chris ]

Air Charter Service has arranged the first civilian cargo flight into Aden since the troubles there started almost five months ago.
ACS chief executive, Justin Bowman, said that while nearly 4,000 people have been killed and 1.3 million forced to flee their homes since the conflict began, civilian cargo flights carrying much needed humanitarian aid have not been allowed in for months, but ACS arranged for an IL-76 aircraft to fly on 13 August, on behalf of a Middle Eastern government.
The aircraft was carrying 35 tons of aid, consisting of food stuffs and medical supplies, along with six diplomats.
Aden is the temporary capital city of the country, following the Houthi’s takeover of Sana’a in March of this year. Bowman added: “We have already performed more than 20 flights into Sana’a for various Red Cross organisations, charities and governments, with the first direct flight from the UAE into the country being operated two weeks ago by us.
The country’s third airport, Al Hudaydah, in the west of the country, remains non-operational at the moment.
Earlier, the EU called on all parties in the conflict to refrain from deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including the port of Hodeida, which has suffered airstrikes and shelling.

Tags: ACS