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First flight to Sulaimaniyah in support of
MSF-France and NGOs working in Kurdistan
5.2.2008
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Air
Serv International expands flight schedule into Iraq
in support of MSF-France and other humanitarian NGOs
working in Kurdistan
February 5, 2008
Warrenton, Virginia, -- In preparation for a
new humanitarian flight service linking Amman,
Jordan with Sulaimaniyah, semi-autonomous Kurdistan
region in Iraq, Air Serv International Country
Director Arthur Hussey and his staff on Thursday, 24
January, conducted a preliminary flight to the city
of Sulaimaniyah,www.ekurd.net
Kurdistan's cultural
capital. |
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Initiated largely due to
current program needs in Kurdistan of Médecins Sans
Frontieres-France (MSF-F – Doctors Without Borders,
France), Air Serv International’s new route to
Sulaimaniyah will expand the already existing
service into Iraq for the international humanitarian
aid community. The first regular flight to
Sulaimaniyah is planned for 7 February.
MSF-F colleagues met Air Serv’s country director and
staff upon arrival and took them to the MSF
Hospital, where they toured the surgical facility
opened in July 2007 to treat burn victims. Severe
burn injuries are frequent and usually due to
cooking stove accidents,www.ekurd.net
or explosions occurring
in the area as a result of the ongoing Iraqi
conflict. The MSF staff works with 17 national
doctors and over 300 staff members. Besides
performing surgeries, they also provide training to
the national doctors and staff in an effort to
increase local medical capacity.
Before leaving Sulaimaniyah, Arthur Hussey and staff
visited the airport terminal and met with airport
personnel, including handling agents and re-fuellers.
“The airport facilities at Sulaimaniyah are
excellent,” Hussey said, “and we found the ground
staff extremely friendly and easy to work with.”
Allen Carney, Air Serv International’s Vice
President of International Programs, expressed his
appreciation for the efforts of the Iraq Program
staff. “Once again, our team has responded to an
increasing demand for expansion of access to a
population in need,” he said. “The latest addition
to Air Serv’s regular flights into Iraq will provide
essential aviation support to our key NGO partners
and enhance their ability to provide humanitarian
assistance in Iraq.”
One of the two largest cities in Kurdistan,
Sulaimaniyah lies southeast of Erbil and is spread
against a backdrop of mountains. Only eight
international aid organizations (NGOs), including
MSF, Save the Children UK, and the NGO Coordination
Committee for Iraq (NCCI), work in the area.
Air Serv International is a not-for-profit
humanitarian aviation organization providing
disaster relief, sustainable development,
environmental restoration and medical evacuations to
those in need.
Airserv org
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