Disaster aid: Overcoming challenges when time is critical

Moving cargo from Point A to Point B is challenging enough. When you add a crisis caused by natural disaster or violence, the links in that supply chain often break, requiring forwarders, carriers and aid organizations to quickly provide solutions at a time when the cargo includes pharmaceuticals , humanitarian aid and other necessities. [caption id="attachment_57140014" align="alignright" width="225"] Airlink prepares to fly aid to a region in need. (Courtesy/Airlink)[/caption] These challenges can be compounded by complex crises, when multiple dilemmas combine. Sudan is a prime example, with about half of the country’s population — 24.7 million people — in urgent need of access to health care, water and sanitation, Andrew Williams , director of communications at the nonprofit Airlink , told Air Cargo Next . An ongoing violent struggle for power in Sudan has exacerbated economic instability, mass displacement and health care inaccessibility. “ Sudan’s health sector is dangerously close to collapse, with at least 80% of hospitals nonoperational,” he said. “However, the delivery of lifesaving and life-sustaining aid to Sudan and surrounding countries is currently constrained by the escalating conflict.” Navigating these challenges requires time that the civilians in need simply do not have. “First and foremost, time is critical,” TIACA Director General Glyn Hughes told Air Cargo Next . “Humanitarian aid is the most critical commodity transported, as lives are depending on its timely arrival.” Learning to navigate turbulent skies is becoming increasingly important. “Over the past years, there have been more and more humanitarian crises,” Cormac O’Sullivan , global director of emergency and relief for Kuehne+Nagel , told Air Cargo Next . “All around the world, we see increasing numbers of disasters. For example, the USA in 2024 had the largest number of billion-dollar disasters ever recorded. At the same time, humanitarian needs all around the world have increased substantially.” To provide aid during crises, air cargo stakeholders must be aware of the specific challenges they face, create networks and plans to anticipate them, and rely on partnerships and technology in the moment. Supply chain obstacles Crises can create or exacerbate supply chain obstacles. Freight forwarders, carriers and industry experts told Air Cargo Next that some of the top obstacles are: Unreliable infrastructure; Unsafe environments; Reduced workforce; Governmental restrictions; and Cost. Examples of unreliable infrastructure are: Damage to roads and airports; Insufficient warehousing, especially for temperature-controlled cargo; and Hampered communication channels. DHL — which took the No. 2 spot on Air Cargo Next’ s Power 25 list of top freight forwarders for the second year in a row — has needed to consider each of these challenges to continue providing service and aid to regions in crisis. “The operational feasibility of the area ... is contingent on factors such as the functionality of the airport and air traffic control, securing landing rights and ensuring the safety of the travel route, considering potential risks like airborne projectiles,” Thomas Ellmann , vice president of clinical trials logistics and public sector at DHL , told Air Cargo Next . For instance, the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey in February 2023 tore the Hatay Airport’s (HTY) sole runway in two, forcing the airport to close. [caption id="attachment_57140006" align="alignright" width="300"] Family emergency kits are built in a warehouse in Canada. (Courtesy/Airlink)[/caption] “There’s also the challenge in maintaining the cold chain,” Ellmann said. “The effectiveness of transporting and storing perishable life science and health care products depends on the functionality of local infrastructure, which might be compromised in the aftermath of a disaster or conflict.” Hughes highlighted the need to identify infrastructure issues and establish solutions before flying aid to affected region. “Before the aid can be transported, local airports need to be checked and cleared for safe arrival,” Hughes said. “Natural disasters can often impact runways and airport operations, so they need to be checked and certified safe. In war zones, airfields are often targeted.” Many carriers , fearing airstrikes against Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) after the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct.7, 2023, canceled operations to Israel, resulting in a drop of more than 70% in air traffic to Israel in November and December, according to the Israel Airports Authority . The pandemic was one of the greatest challenges DHL and the air cargo industry have experienced, Ellmann said. Global cargo tonne kilometers (CTK) in 2020 fell 10.6% YoY, illustrating the effects of the onset of the pandemic, according to data from IATA. Available CTKs fell 23.3% YoY in 2020. “Each country, and even states, implemented their own set of rules and regulations in response to the pandemic, adding an extra layer of difficulty for logistics providers,” he said. “The disruption of commercial flights, a crucial mode of transporting our shipments worldwide, compounded the challenge.” Complex crises Airlink , a nonprofit that provides free transport for a network of more than 200 disaster response non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has faced such challenges and cost limitations. “An increasing number of the emergencies we respond to are classified as ‘complex crises,’ whereby the disaster — earthquake, famine, disease outbreak, etc. — is just one element that, on its own, would be significant, but increasingly is compounded by multiple other factors, such as war, gang violence and political instability ,” Williams said. “Complexity drives up cost, and cost is the biggest barrier to getting aid into a disaster zone.” — Andrew Williams , director of communications at Airlink “ A staggering 73% of the cost of any aid program is accounted for by supply chain activity, of which transport is a significant and highly cost-volatile part,” Williams said. Higher costs are driven by the other challenges, such as paying workers more for being in a dangerous environment and providing security. “Forwarders face a multitude of challenges, beginning with security, as war zones are inherently dangerous, with risks of attacks, kidnappings and explosives,” Airforwarders Association Executive Director Brandon Fried told Air Cargo Next . “Natural disasters also create treacherous conditions like flooding and disease.” The cholera outbreak in Haiti in October 2022 is the perfect example of a complex crisis, said Williams. “An earthquake gave rise to an outbreak of cholera, but long-running gang violence and political instability meant that the ports were closed because of fear of gang violence and the theft of goods. In addition, almost all air carriers stopped scheduled flights to the island,” he said. “On top of that, the danger to staff working at the airport ... had driven up the cost of ground handling charges by 600%. This all compounded to mean that, for our NGO partners, getting cholera medications, water purification equipment and food to help treat patients was either cost-prohibitive or impossible.” The size and magnitude of a crisis also amplifies the complexity and challenge to supplying aid, Hughes said. “The tsunami of 2004 [in the Indian Ocean] impacted over a dozen countries and displaced nearly 2 million people across the region,” Hughes said. “With nearly 240,000 deaths, there was urgent need for medical, food, shelter, fresh water, body recovery and sanitization. This required a huge mobilization effort simultaneously.” About $13.5 billion was raised by the international community, with up to 40% being raised by individual donors, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs . [caption id="attachment_99164" align="alignright" width="300"] Freight forwarders organize a flight to bring aid to Ukraine in March 2022. (Courtesy/Air Charter Service)[/caption] There is no one-size-fits-all solution to crises, with factors such as political tension, infrastructure prior to the crisis and topography playing a role. “Remote mountainous terrain slows aid response, demanding diverse transportation options,” Fried said. “Finally, ongoing violence, such as the [ Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars], makes delivering aid extremely challenging, making security assessments and risk mitigation strategies critical.” Planning for disaster Planning for disasters is both key and difficult, as it is nearly impossible to predict where, when or to what degree a natural disaster or military conflict will strike, Hughes said. “Specialists in the area of humanitarian transport have meticulous and comprehensive planning and preparation scenarios so that each reality they encounter can trigger a preplanned response,” Hughes said. “But adaptability and agility are crucial as no two situations are identical.” Even without a crystal ball, many forwarders have teams of analysts who monitor geopolitical tensions and early reports of natural disasters, allowing the company to create a few plans in the event they are needed. [caption id="attachment_57140007" align="alignright" width="300"] Nursing supplies are packed in Cape Town, South Africa, ahead of boarding an Airlink flight. (Courtesy/Airlink)[/caption] “Disruptions can, and do, occur anywhere in the world — potentially, they will also occur more and more often, with the impact of climate change,” O’Sullivan said. “Kuehne+Nagel analyzes likely scenarios and assesses the potential impact to existing logistics infrastructures. We look at what might happen to road access, port and airport services, and the availability of warehousing. We then consider the kinds of current service offers we currently have in place and start to look for potential services that we could offer our clients in case an event occurs.” Supply chain risk assessments must be performed regularly, followed by the formulation of plans in case of emergency, according to Karina Claybrook , head of global logistics, strategy and governance for Elanco Animal Health , an Indiana-based pharmaceutical company, said on a panel at LogiPharma 2023 in Boston in October. “I also take into consideration all their customs compliance systems,” Claybrook said. “And how long are we taking to cross the borders? Are we having issues at the borders? If we have to reroute, is there a certain aspect that we will need to be aware of and some risk [if we] revert shipments to other points?” Collaboration and communication Forwarders, carriers and shippers must work closely with one another and on-the-ground organizations to deliver aid successfully. [caption id="attachment_57140013" align="alignright" width="300"] Airlink prepares to fly aid to a region in need. (Courtesy/Airlink)[/caption] “The most significant help comes from a well-coordinated and collaborative effort involving governments, NGOs, international relief organizations and local religious communities,” Fried said. Such collaboration was vital during the pandemic, Ellmann said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual processes in the public sector, characterized by intricate RFQ and supplier selection procedures, were expedited due to the urgency of the situation,” he said. “Local governments also became more open and agile given the urgency, fostering close collaborations with corporations and manufacturers.” Information must be “shared widely and openly” to address supply chain challenges, ensure efforts are not being unnecessarily duplicated and determine what aid is needed, O’Sullivan said. “After a disaster event, we work through regional and local offices, as well as with partner organizations, to understand how exactly the disaster event has impacted the logistics landscape,” he said. “At the same time, we are looking to understand what our clients might be thinking in terms of an emergency response, so that we can offer the kinds of services that will support them to respond and keep vital supply lines open. “This could range from air charters of vital medicines into a country, to support with complex local importation rules, to locating cold chain warehousing services for medicines close to the site of the event,” he said. Creativity and resilience Responding to complex crises “requires humanitarian logisticians to combine skill, creativity and resilience, to find ways to navigate through or around these barriers,” O’Sullivan said. “Our humanitarian clients and partners are often dealing with a critical shortage of resources and need to prioritize and distribute aid under severe time constraints.” Technology can support these humanitarian efforts. “Leveraging automation to track goods and communicate important information is essential.” — Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association “ Technological innovations, including the use of drones to deliver essential medical supplies in remote areas, are quite promising and will undoubtedly save lives in affected disaster locations,” Fried said. Platforms that provide real-time information allow forwarders to monitor shipments and recognize issues quickly, offering them the maximum amount of time to create a solution. Such platforms can also provide customs information , which can change in an emergency. But technology is not a panacea. “While technology can be a valuable tool in humanitarian logistics, it’s essential to recognize its limitations and that manual processes may be more effective in certain situations,” Marc Moorrees , global director of aid and relief at Geodis , previously told Air Cargo Next . “The use of technology should be carefully considered based on the specific needs of the situation, the available resources and the technical expertise available among the different stakeholders involved.”

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