In a year marked by a surge in natural disasters and civil unrest, Air Charter Service (ACS), a leading aircraft charter specialist, experienced its most active year for emergency response humanitarian flights. The company played a crucial role in providing aid and conducting evacuations across various global crises.
Ben Dinsdale, ACS’s Director of Humanitarian and Government Services, shared insights into the challenges the past year brought. “There are humanitarian projects and development efforts that are constantly going on, but unfortunately last year saw a higher number of occasions than usual where we have had to activate our specialist Humanitarian Task Forces around our global offices in response to an emergency,” Dinsdale said.
The company’s engagement in humanitarian efforts began in earnest in February following a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey, which also impacted Syria. ACS mobilized quickly, arranging for the transport of German and British search and rescue teams to the affected regions, alongside a representative to oversee the operation. Over 2,000 tonnes of relief cargo were flown in, including shelters, food, and medical supplies, all transported by a variety of aircraft.
April saw the team responding to civil unrest in Sudan, initiating evacuations and flying in aid to support those displaced by the conflict. This was followed by aid to Guam after Typhoon Mawar caused significant damage, and later to Hawaii, where wildfires necessitated further humanitarian cargo flights, including generators, trucks, and mobile phone towers to Maui.
The latter part of the year remained hectic for ACS with two major incidents in September – an earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya following Storm Daniel. While Morocco required few charter flights, the situation in Libya led to over 500 tonnes of aid being transported, including shelter equipment and water purification tablets.
Dinsdale reflected on the year saying, “This list by no means covers all of the emergency humanitarian charters that we did in 2023, but gives an idea of the breadth of charters arranged across the globe. Whilst the majority of the work in my role is supporting longer-term relief and development projects, which is ongoing, I am proud that our skillsets can be put to good use in these emergency situations and help out in such tragic circumstances.”
ACS’s experiences in 2023 underscore the company’s critical role in global humanitarian efforts, showcasing the importance of readiness and responsiveness in times of crisis.
