Airlines help with relief for tsunami victims

A NUMBER of airlines have taken urgent action to provide relief for victims of the tsunami disaster which hit Southeast Asia on December 26. KLM has donated cargo capacity to the Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties, a coalition of major relief organisations in the Netherlands. The airline flew 20 000kg of relief supplies to disaster-stricken areas in Southeast Asia on January 3 and may fly more relief for the worst hit areas in coming days, with KLM scheduled cargo services making intermediate landings at various points in Asia. Singapore Airlines said it intends to make a donation of $300 000 (R1,77m) to the Red Cross Tidal Waves Asia Relief Fund. SIA also said that it has been in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as well as the Red Cross in Singapore, to transport relief supplies to affected areas, while aid is also being flown in from Europe and the USA on Singapore Airlines’ cargo services. Cathay Pacific has also agreed to help governments and charities ferry supplies to stricken areas, while all donations collected in-flight for the United Nations’ Unicef ‘Change for Good’ programme from now until the end of March 2005 will be channelled to support disaster relief efforts. Cathay Pacific has also issued an appeal for members of Asia Miles, its travel reward programme, to donate miles to partner charities in order to fly relief workers to the affected areas. Donations can be made via the Asia Miles website: www.asiamiles.com. (Lucy Siebert)