Charter broker Air Partner has completed a cargo operation to transport hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The company arranged three Boeing 747-400 freighter flights, each carrying around 85-90 tonnes of aid, including temporary shelters.
Two of the flights took off from Liege airport in Belgium and the third flight left from Nairobi airport Kenya, all bound for Larnaca International Airport (LCA) in Cyprus.
Due to the ongoing conflict resulting in closed borders, the aid was flown to Cyprus in order to be transported via sea to the floating pier constructed off the coast of Gaza.
The operation successfully delivered over 280 tons of relief items to the region.
“Operating from international airports allowed for any potential issues regarding permit and traffic rights to be easily organised prior to the mission,” Air Partner said.
“However, the primary challenge involved efficiently loading the cargo due to the need to palletise it, resulting in the aircraft reaching its weight capacity before its volume limit.”
“Due to sector length, high-density freight and restricted airspace avoidance, we were limited on payload restrictions yet managed to take on the maximum number of relief items at a competitive price.”
Pierre Van Der Stichele, vice president of global cargo at Air Partner, said: “Our unwavering commitment to detailed planning, our extensive global expertise and round-the-clock support ensures that we can overcome any obstacle and provide critical aid where it’s needed most.”