Transporting aid during turbulent times, WFP’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service turns one
Looking at the journey taken by the Pacific Humanitarian Air Service in delivering critical aid across the Pacific during a pivotal time in history.
By Maria Shumusti, WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office
As the global pandemic unfolded in early 2020, the impacts of what was initially seen as a medical crisis were beginning to spill over into many sectors, including global logistics and international supply chains.
In the Pacific, while the case numbers were limited, the cascading effects of the pandemic resulted in international borders being closed, the cancellation of almost all commercial flights and the inevitable disruptions to the region’s supply chains.
These supply chain disruptions prevented Pacific governments and aid organisations from moving urgently required medical equipment, including PPE, across the Pacific, equipment that was vital for their preparedness and response strategies.
“It became apparent quite quickly that there was a need to establish a humanitarian air service for the Pacific. National borders were closing, and entire airlines were being grounded, with a domino-like effect across the Pacific. This was leaving Pacific Island nations very vulnerable with no way to transport urgently needed basic preparedness items such as PPE,” said Jo Pilgrim, Director of WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office.
The Pacific Humanitarian Air Service was established as part of the Pacific Humanitarian Team’s COVID-19 Response Plan, and as a temporary measure to provide predictable air transport for the urgent movement of critical supplies and humanitarian personnel until commercial aviation options became available again.
The air service supports the work of the WHO-led Pacific Joint Incident Management Team for COVID-19, the Pacific Humanitarian Pathway for COVID-19, and the response efforts of the United Nations and the broader humanitarian community in the Pacific.
Over the past year, WFP’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service has addressed this critical need, operating 30 flights around the region and transporting 250 metric tons of vital medical and relief cargo to 14 Pacific Island countries and territories. It has also transported 73 humanitarian personnel to the locations where they were needed.
By end of July 2020, the COVID-19 case numbers were spiking in Papua New Guinea, prompting fears for the health system of the Pacific Island nation.
On 6 August 2020, the first Pacific Humanitarian Air Service flight carrying ventilators, protective masks and other medical supplies critical to the COVID-19 response landed in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The supplies were transported from Fiji on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
With the pandemic still ever present, and with commercial air transport services yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, the humanitarian flights continue to provide an indispensable service in supporting the response to COVID-19 and natural disasters in the region.
Some examples of our critical life-saving operations from the past year are：
On 17 December 2020, Tropical Cyclone Yasa made landfall on the island of Vanua Levu in Fiji. The category 5 cyclone, the strongest tropical cyclone in the South Pacific since Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016 wreaked havoc across a large swathe of Fiji triggering landslides and floods and damaging large areas of agricultural land. In some areas, entire villages were severely affected with large numbers of homes destroyed and power and communication cut.
The Pacific Humanitarian Air Service conducted two flights transporting a total of 117 cubic metres of critical relief supplies that included WASH kits, tents, and mobile warehouses to support the government’s disaster response.
Kiribati’s medical emergency
On 22 April 2021, the Government of Kiribati raised alarms over the rapidly depleting stock of intravenous (IV) fluids in its hospitals caused by pandemic-induced disruptions in supply chains.
WFP was able to respond immediately in collaboration with the Australian Government who procured 6 metric tonnes of IV fluid in under 24 hours. The Pacific Humanitarian Air Service transported the IV fluids to Kiribati on 26 April, and was also able to uplift additional medical supplies for Kiribati on behalf of UNICEF and WHO during a stop-over in Fiji.
Supporting response to Typhoon Surigae in Palau
Typhoon Surigae hit Palau on 13 April 2021, damaging some 1500 homes, destroying roads, cutting power and water supplies while leaving a trail of destruction across the country. Palau was in urgent need of relief aid, but transport options were limited due to the pandemic.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Australian government had emergency relief items stockpiled in the WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Malaysia. WFP’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service transported these life-saving relief items, including family kits, kitchen sets, and blankets from Malaysia to Palau.
Like Palau, many countries in the Pacific are confronted with the dual threats of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters and are impeded in their ability to respond to either threat effectively due to disrupted supply chains.
Fiji’s COVID-19 Crisis
Earlier this year, Fiji’s second wave of the COVID-19 crisis had rapidly intensified with an acute increase in the number of cases.
To support the government’s COVID-19 pandemic response, WFP’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service conducted two flights transporting a total of 136 cubic meters of urgently required PPE on behalf of UNICEF.
One of the two flights also carried Mobile Storage Units and a forklift on behalf of WFP from the UNHRD in Malaysia to support the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services in the streamlining of storage and handling of PPE.
“Looking back now it’s hard to believe that the Pacific Humanitarian Air Service was originally planned as a three-month operation. Like so many others, WFP did not expect the effects of the pandemic to be so long-lived in the Pacific,” said Jo Pilgrim, Director of WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office.
“While some commercial airlines are now operating freight and repatriations flights, we are still far from the pre-pandemic level of commercial air services and there are still countries without regular flights. WFP is pleased to be able to continue to provide this crucial support to the region when and where it is needed,” she added.
WFP continues to work closely with organisations and governments responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific. Collaboration with partners has been key to the success of the air service and enabled it to be an effective tool for the region’s response.
It is through the generous funding from the Government of Australia, the European Union and the United State’s Agency for International Development that WFP can provide rapid and timely transport of aid and personnel across the Pacific during this critical time in history.
