Delta World Charter (DWC) and Air Partner have operated a cargo relief flight on 25 February 2015 from Al Maktoum International Airport to Conakry, Guinea. The flight delivered essential supplies to the West African country, which continues to be one of the worst affected Ebola areas, with over 2,000 deaths in the country to date. Skyline Air Ltd and Geodis Wilson worked alongside Air Partner and DWC, acting as the handlers and forwarders respectively.

Roman Gilmanov, cargo chief commercial officer of DWC, commented: “In emergency freight situations such as this, time is always of the essence, and often the hardest commodity to come by. This was especially the case flying into Guinea, with the added complication of Ebola. Fortunately, DWC and Air Partner had the right contacts, experience, professionalism and influence to operate quickly and efficiently, even in the face of significant logistical challenges. It was a pleasure to work with Air Partner and support the relief efforts and make a difference to sufferers’ lives.”

Richard Smith, director of freight at Air Partner, said:“This was a very challenging task, it was extremely important for us to rapidly get the supplies to Conakry where the Ebola outbreak had been worsening. I would like to thank the highly experienced team at Air Partner for all the long hours, time and effort they put in to make this possible. Dmitriy and Roman at DWC have done a great job working on this time-critical project and ensured excellent coordination and implementation across the assignment.”

Air Partner has significant aid and crisis experience. In 2013 the Group transported 600 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan devastated the region. During the Arab Spring of 2011, which coincided with several natural disasters, Air Partner worked around the clock to evacuate more than 12,000 people from across Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Japan and New Zealand, in just six weeks.