INDUSTRY FOCUSHUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS
depending on the number of overflight permits the operator needs to obtain. For Volga-Dnepr, the scope of its
operation and its global footprint bring advantages. “We have a good size freighter fleet and aircraft positioned around the world, so we can always find the quickest way to respond,” said Miller, adding that the expertise accumulated by the company in 26 years of humanitarian mission flying is equally important. Since 1990, the carrier has performed over 1,100 humanitarian flights and delivered over 75,000 tonnes of aid to help people in 93 countries. It is a reflection of the importance of this
segment for Volga-Dnepr that Miller was appointed to his newly created position at the start of 2016. For large multinational brokers like
Chapman Freeborn, Air Partner and Air Charter Service, humanitarian activities have been equally important. With 20 offices around the world, Air
Charter Service is always engaged in some humanitarian activity, according to Morgan-Evans. “As we have grown more global, it has become more of a constant feature,” he said. Chapman Freeborn has a team in its
London office that concentrates on this sector, with frequent commercial and operational support from various branches, such as its Dubai office, said van der Stichele.
Medicines At Gefco, the appointment of Cunnington to his newly created position in early December reflects the forwarder’s growing involvement in humanitarian logistics. The company serves several NGOs. One of these relationships, which started out of ad hoc work, has evolved to the storage and dispatch of vaccines, medicines and equipment, much of this on 5,000 sq m of warehouse space at Amsterdam airport. In December 2016, Panalpina organised
and donated a cargo charter to Chad that carried over 80 tonnes of relief goods provided by UNICEF. It marked the fourth consecutive year that the logistics firm has donated and managed a charter for the organisation. Often bureaucratic hurdles are
suspended to facilitate the flow of relief goods to stricken areas. “In Germany you need two days’ notice for a charter with a non-EU carrier, but in an emergency this is waived,” reported Hill. According to Morgan-Evans, there is
considerable variation in the length of time required to obtain a charter permit. Often this is due to the overwhelming volume of requests the local authorities suddenly find
86 January/February 2017
themselves confronted with, and constraints at the local airport, he explained. In some areas, however, local officials see an opportunity for gain, assuming that western donors will pay what it takes to get the goods to their final destination, Cunnington reported. “For NGOs, occasionally prices go up,” he said. Dealing with bureaucracy may extend to
countries that are not affected, notably when it comes to overflying rights to reach a stricken country. For the relief mission to Nepal, the operators of IL-76 aircraft chartered by Chapman Freeborn had to land the plane in India for a physical inspection, recalled van der Stichele. “Overflight permits can take two to three
working days,” he said, adding that major relief organisations can give diplomatic support to expedite the process. The stakes go up when the humanitarian
shipment is headed into an armed conflict zone. In one case Gefco had to obtain
permission from the local NATO airforce to allow a Boeing 747 freighter into its airspace. For a mission to Yemen, it had to get permission from the Saudi airforce to fly in.
Armed escorts In some cases, armed escorts are required for the movement of goods on the ground. Typically these are provided by government troops – often for a fee, which ends up being charged to the relief organisation that has organised the shipment. “We do not use a private security firm, but it is an option. We can use it if we deem it necessary, but we have never done it,” said Cunnington. Operations into war zones are often of a
sustained nature rather than the ad hoc rush associated with emergency response missions. Recently Chapman Freeborn has had
between two and five aircraft in action flying three times a day on sustained missions to South Sudan, Yemen and Syria. The aircraft drop food and other supplies for the relief agencies on the ground. Some of this cargo is carried on scheduled flights to a hub in the region, where the IL-76s organised by the broker take over to air-drop the goods in the conflict zone. Relief operations to the Philippines after
Since 1990, Volga-Dnepr has performed over 1,100 humanitarian flights and delivered over 75,000 tonnes of aid to help people in 93 countries.
– Colon Miller, Volga-Dnepr
a deadly earthquake saw carriers allowed to route their planes over Hong Kong on the way back and load up with regular cargo – a move that brought down the price of the charters, recalled Morgan-Evans, but this was a rare exception. “Usually nothing comes out. Most of the
time you pay for the round trip,” he said. For brokers active in this sector, this is
often mitigated by the sense of doing something different from their normal commercial activities.“This business is more about the end result – to save lives, to relieve suffering,” said Cunnington. “This is not a profit centre. We are not
going to make money on it,” Hill added. “You can benefit in other ways.” HLPFI
www.heavyliftpfi.com
Volga-Dnepr says its global footprint allows it to respond quickly to humanitarian crises.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
