Media Contact:
Rudolph Joseph
(540) 428-2323 Ext. 137
e-mail: rjoseph@airserv.org
Air Serv International expands flight schedule into Iraq in support of humanitarian NGOs working in Kurdistan
Warrenton, Virginia, 1 February 2008 - In preparation for a new humanitarian flight service linking Amman, Jordan with Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, Air Serv International Country Director Arthur Hussey and his staff on Thursday, 24 January, conducted a preliminary flight to the city of 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."
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.
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 a handful of international aid organizations, including MSF (Doctors without Borders), 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.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Residents welcome their relatives who have just returned from Syria after arriving in Baghdad in this November 21, 2007 file photo. Encouraged by the lull in the bloodletting in their homeland, ...
