”Flight against famine“ Wings of Help, Lufthansa Cargo, PAYBACK and Partners ship 90 tonnes of relief aid to East Africa

In cooperation with Lufthansa Cargo and many other partners, the German Wings of Help aid organization is organizing an MD-11 freighter relief flight to Nairobi. On board are around 90 tonnes of relief supplies, principally medicaments and food, for the famine-stricken people in East Africa.

Lufthansa Cargo Chairman and CEO Karl Ulrich Garnadt underlined the importance of direct aid in the provision of relief: “The generosity of the German people and industry is immense when donations are needed. The challenge now is to ensure that relief supplies are transported quickly and efficiently to Africa,” he emphasized. “It is only natural that we should step in and help in this humanitarian catastrophe. Together with the aid organization, Wings of Help, and PAYBACK, Lufthansa Cargo is ensuring that support arrives precisely where it is momentarily so urgently needed.”

Frank Franke, President of Wings of Help, who will be on the MD-11 flight and on-site when the relief supplies are distributed, underlined: “The solidarity shown in our Country by private donors and industry is truly impressive. The people in Germany have not forgotten what it is to suffer need.”

The famine catastrophe is threatening around 3.7 million people in Somalia alone. A child is dying from the effects of hunger every five minutes, many mothers have had to abandon their weakened children during the tortuous trek to the refugee camps in Kenya.

The Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter is leaving Frankfurt for Nairobi at 2.05 hours (local time) on 17 August. The flight is scheduled to land in Kenya at 10.40 hours (local time). The relief supplies will be distributed on arrival in cooperation with the International Medical Corps.