Consortium led by Lufthansa Cargo flies aid supplies to Turkey

Utilizing synergies and helping together unbureaucratically: This is the goal of the aid community of leading transport and logistics partners SunExpress, DPD, FIEGE, time:matters, CB Customs Broker GmbH, and Lufthansa Cargo. SunExpress, the joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, brought the companies together to maintain an air bridge from Germany to the crisis region in the coming weeks. More than 1,000 tons of aid supplies are to be transported to the crisis region as part of the initiative “We help together.”

(Frankfurt am Main) On Friday, February 17, 2023, two Boeing 777 freighters from Lufthansa Cargo will bring urgently needed aid supplies such as blankets, hygiene items, and food to the crisis region. The flights with the flight numbers LH8332 and LH8334 will depart at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM CET from Frankfurt to Antalya.

Starting Monday, February 20, 2023, SunExpress will operate flights under the flight number XQ8881 for pure freight transport every Monday and Tuesday. For these so-called charter flights, SunExpress has received an exemption from the relevant authorities. In addition, SunExpress will fly daily from Frankfurt to Antalya and will load aid supplies on these flights.

DPD parcel shops accept aid packages

The willingness of people to help those affected in the earthquake areas is great. With the joint initiative, the participating companies also want to give private donors the opportunity to help quickly and easily. Starting Monday, February 20, 2023, aid packages with urgently needed supplies can be dropped off at the 7,500 DPD parcel shops. The initiative works closely with the aid organization AFAD in Turkey, which informs about which aid supplies are urgently needed. At the moment, aid packages weighing up to a maximum of 20kg can be dropped off with the following contents:

• Unused or like-new winter clothing for babies, children, men, and women
• Sleeping bags
• Blankets
• Scarves
• Diapers
• Baby bottles and nipples for babies
• Gloves
• Food (dry products like bread and cookies; baby food)
• Hygiene boxes (soap, shampoo; no liquids!)
• Sanitary pads

A shipping label must be printed in advance, which is free for donation packages. The link to this and further information can be found on the initiative’s website at www.wir-helfen-gemeinsam.de.

Sponsorship or in-kind donations from companies

Companies can also make an important contribution and support the air bridge as sponsors or with in-kind donations. Interested companies are asked to contact the initiative directly. The contact details can be found on the initiative’s website.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all partners,” says Max Kownatzki, CEO of SunExpress Airlines. “Thanks to their flexibility and willingness to help, it was only possible to establish and implement this air bridge within a few days. Now we can work together in the coming weeks to do what is most important to all of us: to help on-site in a targeted manner and thus alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the tragedy, at least a little. The air bridge is an important extension of our previous commitment in the form of rescue and evacuation flights as well as the free transport of freight, which we have been offering since February 6.”

“This disaster affects us all. Many of our colleagues come from Turkey. At the same time, we feel an overwhelming willingness to help – both in our team and among people all over Germany. Therefore, starting Monday, aid packages can be dropped off at our DPD parcel shops,” says Andreas Thams, Chief Sales Officer at DPD Germany.

Providing assistance is a matter of course for FIEGE

“Countless people are affected by the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria. The terrible images and news are shocking and sad. Many colleagues in our FIEGE team have relatives and friends in Turkey or Syria. For us, it is a matter of course to help in this emergency situation,” says Felix Fiege, Co-CEO of FIEGE, who runs the family business together with his cousin Jens Fiege in the fifth generation. Jens Fiege adds: “By collecting donations in our warehouses and packaging and loading the aid supplies, we want to contribute our part to the air bridge – and hope that we can alleviate the suffering of the affected people in the earthquake areas at least a little.”

“The enormous willingness of people who want to help those affected in the earthquake area is overwhelming. As an air freight company, we can make a concrete contribution to supplying the people on-site while also supporting the many private initiatives in their desire to help. I thank all employees who have made the implementation of the air bridge possible so quickly through their work,” says Dorothea von Boxberg, Chairwoman of the Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG.

A continuous transport process is essential

The need for assistance in the earthquake area is so great that a stable and continuous transport process between Germany and Turkey is essential to ensure the supply of people on-site. By utilizing synergies and the expertise of the individual participants, the enormous private willingness to help from the population is reliably channeled within the framework of the air bridge. The private donations received at the DPD shops are distributed through the logistics centers of the FIEGE Group, coordinated by the logistics service provider time:matters, customs cleared by the customs service provider CB Customs Broker, and flown several times a week by air freight from SunExpress and Lufthansa Cargo to Antalya. In Antalya, the aid supplies are brought to the earthquake areas with the help of the local disaster relief agency AFAD and the logistics partners DSV and Celebi.

All information about the initiative, supporters, and needed aid supplies can be found on the website:

www.wir-helfen-gemeinsam.de

Photo: © Lufthansa Cargo / Photo caption: Loading of aid supplies at Frankfurt Airport