LATAM Cargo’s ‘Solidarity Plane’ delivers aid to Puerto Rico

LATAM Cargo transported more than 40 tonnes of disaster relief supplies from Miami to Puerto Rico, which is still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria more than a month after the Category 4 storm hit on Sept. 20.

The humanitarian aid came aboard a 767 freighter through LATAM’s “Solidarity Plane” initiative, which responds to natural emergencies and disasters. The freighter, full of water, food, generators, medicine and other relief items, is one of a chain of humanitarian relief efforts undertaken in Puerto Rico by organizations and members in the air cargo community.

The LATAM delivery was made in partnership with several other organizations that compiled the relief items and sponsored the shipment to help with distribution across the U.S. island territory in the Caribbean. The supplies were collected by the nonprofit group Another Joy Foundation, which was created by aviation professionals with the goal of utilizing aerospace resources to transport humanitarian aid around the world at no cost.

The shipment was sponsored by DayGlow Relief, Jet Test and Transport, and the Humanitarian Lift Project, and is expected to benefit more than 150,000 people in Puerto Rico, many of whom are still without electricity and have difficulty finding clean drinking water.