Singapore Airlines and the Temasek Foundation are partnering the United Nations World Food Programme to airlift essential medical and other health and humanitarian supplies to the COVID-19 pandemic frontline around the world, WFP said in a statement on Tuesday.
“While demand for WFP Common Services grows every week, resources are stretched incredibly thin and additional support is urgently needed,” said Amer Daoudi, WFP’s COVID-19 Corporate Response Director.
“We are very grateful to Singapore Airlines and Temasek Foundation for stepping up so we can continue delivering life-saving supplies to those who need them most.”
Under this agreement, SIA is making ad-hoc charter flights and freight space in its scheduled services available on a cost-recovery basis, with flight costs being covered by a contribution of up to US$6.5 million from the Temasek Foundation.
“This will allow us to draw on our expertise as a global airfreight provider and use our international network to deliver essential supplies to the points of need and help to make a positive impact on the communities that have been directly affected by COVID-19," said Chin Yau Seng, Senior Vice President Cargo, Singapore Airlines.
The partnership will enable essential supplies reach communities with the most need, even if they are remote, said Temasek Foundation CEO Ng Boon Heong.
“Together, we will be more capable in combating the COVID-19 global pandemic when we enable synergistic collaborations in the international community."
WFP’s passenger and cargo flights are likely to grind to a halt at the end of August if no additional financial support is received. The UN agency has appealed for around US$965 million but only 21 percent of this sum has been received to date, according to the statement.
Providing the logistics backbone for global COVID-19 efforts, WFP operates a network of hubs and passenger and cargo airlinks to ensure a steady flow of supplies and support to the frontlines of the pandemic. Since these services began in May, WFP has managed more than 800 humanitarian flights to 159 countries, transporting enough cargo to fill 188 jumbo jets expected to require WFP transport in the coming weeks.
The SIA Group has facilitated multiple repatriation flights to bring back individuals stranded away from their home countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.
SIA Cargo has also been transporting medical relief supplies and personal protective equipment to COVID-19 hotspots and has also donated items such as blankets and helped to supply meals to communities that have been affected by the pandemic in Singapore.
