Did you know?
4,800 metric tonnes of vital relief cargo and more than 388,000 humanitarian and development workers were transported by the UN Humanitarian Air Service in 2023.
Relevance to aviation
A key focus of this SDG for most modes of transport is around safety. Aviation has a strong track record, developing a robust safety culture that has extended throughout the industry. Whilst we can never relax in this area, it is something that the whole aviation community can be proud to support.
In addition, by building on its speed advantage, aviation promotes access to vital medical care through the use of air ambulances in remote communities and by transporting time-sensitive medical supplies, such as vaccines. A recent example is the Covid-19 pandemic, during which aviation’s role in transporting medicines, ventilators, disinfectants and protective gear such as face masks and gloves was crucial. Aviation also plays a major and essential role in relief by assisting people in times of disaster, famine and war.
Examples of action
- Cargo airlines are used to transport time-sensitive vaccines, which must be stored in specific conditions. In 2012, UPS transported 375,000 vaccines to Laos.
- The GMR Group, which operates Indira Gandhi International Airport, conducts a number of health-based initiatives in India through the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, such as its HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
- Phoenix Air developed an aircraft quarantine system to transport aid workers infected by Ebola from Western Africa to the United States for treatment.
- In March 2020, Ethiopian Airlines helped to distribute 1.5 million Covid-19 test kits, 5.4 million face masks and tens of thousands of other medical supplies across Africa. These were donated by the Chinese government and tech billionaire and co-founder of the Alibaba online shopping platform, Jack Ma.
- During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, all 17 Lufthansa Cargo freighters operated continuously to transport medical supplies around the world. On one occasion, Lufthansa Cargo transported a shipment of eight million protective masks, weighing 26 tons, from Shanghai to Germany, on behalf of the Bavarian State Government.
Learn more in the Flying in Formation report