Aviation Services Group Sends Supplies To Nations Hard-Hit By Tsunami

Aviation Services Group, a Dallas-based expeditionary logistics service provider, completed on January 1st a full cargo plane-load shipment of relief supplies for the Indian Ocean area Tsunami relief effort on a charter flight donated by Aviation Services. Aviation Services arranged the pick-up of critical basic necessity materials from Dubai, United Arab Emirates for subsequent non-stop air transportation to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the approximate 20,000 pounds of disaster relief supplies destined for use by Red Cross workers in Sri Lanka.

 Aviation Services considered the donation of its air charter service as a tangible means to leverage its expertise in handling transportation into operationally challenging environments while making a contribution to the global response for the millions of people impacted by the December 26th Indian Ocean Tsunami.

"When we saw the reach of the devastation caused by the tsunami, we could not help but feel that we needed to respond by donating our air lift services," said Tom Uglialoro, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Aviation Services Group. "Therefore, we decided to utilize our global reach and deploy our resources out of the Middle East to provide immediate disaster response for USAID to the people of Sri Lanka."

One of the first relief flights to reach Sri Lanka, the Aviation Services Group charter flight arrived in Colombo on January 1st carrying 64,000 liters of potable water, 1,000 wool blankets and 120 rolls of plastic sheeting for shelters to be distributed by the Red Cross for citizens in need. Aviation Services personnel in Dubai ensured the safe and expedient loading of the flight in conjunction with the USAID Office on Foreign Disaster Assistance. In Sri Lanka, Aviation Services also managed the transfer of the materials to International Federation of the Red Cross personnel on the ground in Colombo, where US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeffrey Lunstead also met the flight. Due to the destruction of a substantial portion of the road and bridge network within Sri Lanka, the air lift represented an effective and secure means to send relief materials to the impacted areas.

While a young and relatively small player in the global logistics service provider marketplace, Aviation Services claims deep experience in quickly and efficiently moving critical materials by air into remote locations. Since mid-2003, the company has operated air charters into Iraq and today offers an Air Bridge Iraq service that provides regular air cargo service directly to Baghdad from the Middle East and North America. The Aviation Services team routinely arranges and directs air charter moves for private and public sector clients across the globe and understands how to meet tight delivery windows, including where customs authorities and special cargo handling are involved.

FMI: www.aviationservices.com