The Airbus Foundation and Action Contre la Faim (ACF) have transported highly nutritious food products, blankets and water sanitation equipment to Djibouti from Lyon aboard an A330 development aircraft.
The aircraft departed Lyon and arrived in Djibouti on 17 April loaded with 38.4 tonnes of goods. The supplies will be stored at the logistics hub of ACF to be ultimately shipped to Yemen once humanitarian corridors have been opened.
Since March 2015, Yemen has been in a state of war with thousands of people, especially children, suffering from malnutrition and a lack of access to drinking water. The fighting has restricted the delivery of humanitarian aid, whether by air to Sana’a or by sea to Aden.
“In Aden, the second largest city of Yemen, one million people may not have access to drinkable water in the coming days,” said Hajir Maalim, ACF Operations Director in Yemen. “Due to violence and bombings in ACF operational areas, and difficulties to access vulnerable populations, we are implementing a logistic hub in Djibouti. This hub will directly support ACF programs in Yemen with regular supply to avoid any interruption of operations.”
“The situation in Yemen has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Once Action Contre la Faim called upon us for help we didn’t have to think twice to provide a test aircraft in order to pick up the relief goods and fly them as close as possible to the war zone,” said Fabrice Brégier, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “I would like to thank our partner Action Contre la Faim for their logistical expertise and distribution of the goods to the people who are desperately waiting for international relief,” he added.
Since 2009, the Airbus Foundation and ACF have worked together on many relief missions. They have a partnership with Emirates Airline for the regular transport of relief goods to a UNWFP managed warehouse in Dubai using A380 deliveries out of Hamburg.
Photo Credit: AIRBUS
