Humanitarian Air Services

ECHO FACTSHEET
shortage

Facts & Figures

ECHO Flight

ECHO Flight is the European

Commission's humanitarian
aid air service
Its fleet consists of 6
aircraft: 3 in DRC, 1 in
Kenya and 2 in Mali
In 2014, ECHO Flight
transported almost 24 000
passengers and over 350
tonnes of cargo
ECHO Flight budget in 2015
so far: 12 million

Contribution to the UN
Humanitarian Air Services
(UNHAS)
In 2014, UNHAS transported
240,885 passengers and
3 931 tonnes of cargo
European Commission
support to UNHAS country
operations in 2015: 15
million
ECHO support to aviation
NGO (Mission Aviation
Fellowship International) in
Afghanistan: 878 000

ECHO Flight +
Humanitarian Air Services
funding in 2015:
28 million

Humanitarian Aid and

Civil Protection
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: (+32 2) 295 44 00
Fax: (+32 2) 295 45 72
email:
echo-info@ec.europa.eu
Website:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo

* All the latest ECHO

Factsheets:
bit.ly/echo-fs

EU/ECHO

Key messages
Humanitarian air services are a lifeline for millions of
vulnerable people in humanitarian crises where quick and safe
access is vital to save lives.
Due to the lack of reliable roads, ports and other infrastructure,
access to many crises by land or water is difficult, if not
impossible. Humanitarian air services are often the only way to
get access to remote places and reach people in need.
In addition to transporting humanitarian supplies and workers,
humanitarian air services perform medical and security
evacuations.
The European Commission, via its Humanitarian Aid and Civil
Protection department (ECHO), operates its own humanitarian
air service called ECHO Flight, with hubs in Kenya, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mali.
The Commission funds other humanitarian air services as well
in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
humanitarian aid delivery, and organises ad-hoc airlifts from
Europe in major emergencies. The Commission also co-finances
the transport of humanitarian aid and relief material through
the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

ECHO Factsheet Humanitarian Air Services September 2015

Humanitarian situation and needs

Natural disasters and man-made crises have left millions of people in need of humanitarian
assistance. Yet humanitarian operations are often plagued by a lack of logistical supplies
and infrastructure investment. Humanitarian agencies generally rely on routine or charter
flights to reach their destination, but local airlines are not always reliable, nor do they
always fly to areas where humanitarian assistance is needed. Humanitarian air services
enable life-saving supplies to reach cut-off populations and aid workers to access remote
locations. As such, they constitute a lifeline for millions of vulnerable people around the
world.
Rough weather conditions can make access to those in need even more difficult. During
rainy seasons for instance, the already deficient transport infrastructure can become
completely unusable. Bridges are swept away by flood waters and unpaved roads become
impassable.
In many areas where humanitarian organisations operate, security threats add up to poor
road infrastructure to make transportation over land a dangerous undertaking. The safe
and quick passage of humanitarian workers and relief supplies is often jeopardised at the
expense of people in need. Air transport then becomes the best or only way to reach
populations. Natural disasters, epidemics and conflicts also sometimes necessitate the
evacuation of people, including aid workers, whose lives are in danger.

The European Union's Humanitarian Response

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
department (ECHO) operates a humanitarian air service known as ECHO Flight, which is
available for partner aid organisations at no cost. Currently, the service runs flights in
Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mali. With an operating cost of over
12 million in 2014, ECHO flight transported 23 900 passengers and 356 tonnes of cargo.
In addition to running its own fleet of aircraft in insecure zones, the Commission supports
other not-for-profit humanitarian air services. In 2015, it has contributed 15 million to the
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Sudan, South Sudan, Chad,
Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Cameroun and the Central African Republic (CAR), and 878 000 to
the Afghanistan operations of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). So far, the Commission
has spent a total of 28 million on ECHO Flight and other humanitarian air services in 2015.
The Commission also finances ad-hoc flights to support humanitarian operations during
large-scale emergencies. For example, it has funded the transportation of humanitarian
supplies and workers by UNHAS in Syria, South Sudan and Ethiopia. It also contracted
cargo aircraft to deliver life-saving aid to conflict-ridden Central African Republic, Ukraine
and to Guinea, as well as to Liberia and Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis, which also saw
the Commission play a pivotal role in organising medical evacuation flights.
Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission co-funds the transfer of the EU
Member States' aid to crisis areas. In 2015, relief items and medical supplies have been
delivered via the Civil Protection Mechanism to people in need in Ukraine, Nepal, Guinea,
Liberia and Sierra Leon, as well as Myanmar during the floods in July.

*All the latest ECHO Factsheets:

bit.ly/echo-fs

ECHO Factsheet Humanitarian Air Services

September 2015 - Page 2 /2