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umanitarian airfreight operations are increasingly reliant on agile partnerships and multimodal logistics to meet the demands of complex crises worldwide. The sector has evolved to integrate commercial airline capacity with dedicated NGO networks, enabling rapid response even in highly volatile environments.


“We have built these trusted networks of airline partners and logistics


partners, and that’s kind of the only way we’re able to withstand a very volatile sector,” to Bethany Holland, Associate Director of Humanitarian Programs at Airlink, explained. The Covid-19 response underscored the importance of flexibility, as


passenger aircraft were repurposed for cargo, keeping essential shipments moving despite reduced commercial traffic. “The pandemic, for example, was a really big learning point for us, because we leaned into the cargo [movement capabilities] since there were not passengers flying, but there were still aircraft,” Holland noted. Infrastructure damage and bureaucratic obstacles remain persistent


operational challenges. Post-disaster road washouts, destroyed bridges, and debris often require rerouted logistics, while customs clearance can delay deliveries. “The customs clearance process following a disaster is not always very clear, and there are still those bureaucratic impediments that can impact our nonprofit partners from quickly delivering and clearing aid,” Holland explained. For humanitarian actors, these obstacles necessitate reliance on pre-


established relationships with local partners and carriers. “That’s the whole purpose of Airlink: building out our network of trusted partners is really having those experts and their expertise to lean on when there are those challenges,” Holland added.


Multimodal logistics underpin aid delivery Efficient humanitarian response increasingly depends on multimodal transport solutions that balance speed, cost, and temperature-sensitive requirements. Airfreight is often the fastest option, but secondary transport, such as trucking, is essential to reach remote or landlocked regions. “Our Sudan response is a really great example of where we are doing multimodal transport. We’re using air lift into N’Djamena, Chad, and then from there, we are building out trucking solutions from Chad across the country and crossing the border into Darfur and Sudan,” Holland outlined.


Planning and prior knowledge are central to operational efficiency.


Selecting airlines with minimal stopovers reduces the risk of temperature excursions for pharmaceuticals, while trucks with cold-chain capability ensure medicines reach their destinations intact. “We are securing both cost-effective, time-sensitive—and just the correct—transportation, so trucks that have cold chain capacity for medicines can carry more sensitive temperature requirements,” Holland emphasised.


Frameworks shape humanitarian efficiency The efficiency of humanitarian logistics is heavily influenced by partnerships between NGOs and private sector actors, particularly airlines and logistics providers. Cross-sector collaboration reduces duplication and maximises reach, while funding and network capacity dictate which crises can be supported. “There is a huge need for additional private sector engagement, partnership, collaboration and


really leveraging the networks that already exist,” Holland stressed. Selection of response regions is guided by both operational feasibility


and necessity, rather than arbitrary exclusion. Airfreight requirements, partner demand, and life-saving priorities determine deployment. “If we have the airline partner network, and if we have the funding, if we have the demand from our NGO partners, then we are going to try and respond at the scale required, based on the disaster,” she added. The growing complexity of humanitarian response underscores the


policy and operational implications for airlines, forwarders, and NGOs. Enhanced engagement with private sector networks improves delivery efficiency and reduces resource wastage, while supportive regulatory frameworks streamline customs clearance and transport approvals. “My biggest plea to both sectors is to really lean in to that collaboration


and to utilise the networks that exist and the expertise that exists,” Holland concluded.


The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,365 09 February 2026


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