ACS aids Indonesian earthquake

As the death toll from the 7.5-magnitude Indonesian earthquake and resulting tsunami on Sept. 28  climbs over the 2,000 mark, the coastal communities on the coast of Sulawesi are continuing the process of repair with the help of airborne relief efforts, like that of United Kingdom-based Air Charter Service (ACS).

ACS said that, so far, it has delivered more than 600 tonnes of relief products to Indonesia, such as shelter kits and water purifying tablets, utilizing its fleet of  Antonov AN-12s, and Boeing 757s and 777s.

“Our U.S., Asian and European offices have all been heavily involved in the humanitarian effort since [the earthquake], on behalf of our clients,” said Dan Morgan-Evans, group cargo director for ACS. “There are a lot of aid supplies stockpiled in Malaysia and the surrounding area so, once the aircraft were sourced, many of the operations have been swift.”

The traditionally passenger-focused charter broker has been expanding its cargo services over the last year. In its 2017 financial report, compared to the previous year, ACS boosted its number of cargo charter flights by 11 percent to 4,300, accounting for about a third of its 15,000 contracts.

In 2018, ACS has continued increasing cargo flights in the first nine months of the year, and doubled its presence in Beijing in an investment in the Chinese market with the opening of a new facility.