Finnair has been playing a role in contributing humanitarian assistance to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti by offering cargo space on its Leisure flight traffic to the Dominican Republic. In addition, a special Finnair flight organized with the Finnish Red Cross flew to Port au Prince last week, transporting doctors and medical personnel.
Finnair flies to Puerto Plata twice a week and has offered to transport and handle cargo for the aid agencies free of charge. Finnair is liaising with aid agencies to ensure the best ways of carrying out this cargo transport.
Last week a special flight departed from Helsinki-Vantaa with Finnish and German Red Cross medical staff and cargo on board, via Berlin to Haiti’s main airport at Port au Prince. The cargo included hospital furniture and equipment for a field hospital and two operating units.
“It’s natural for an airline to participate in assistance when catastrophes happen in the world,” says Antero Lahtinen, who heads Finnair’s Cargo operations.
After the earthquake in the Sichuan region of China, for example, Finnair participated in aid and reconstruction, while also lending a hand in Thailand after the tsunami in 2004.
Finnair Plc
Communications
29.1.2010
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