Volga-Dnepr moves fire engines to assist in California fires

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has carried out an An-124-100 charter flight for the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist the bushfire firefighting efforts in California.

The carrier moved two fire engines and a Ford F-250 pick-up truck, weighing more than 20 tonnes in total, from Atlantic City in New Jersey to San Francisco in California after all the documentation was approved just a day after the application.

Ekaterina Andreeva, commercial director, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, commented: “For more than five years we have been cooperating with FEMA to guarantee fast, seamless and intact humanitarian deliveries to the regions hit by various natural disasters.

“We were able to process all the flight issues within the shortest time frames, which is crucial for humanitarian missions when so much is at stake. Up till now, we have operated more than 80 FEMA charter flights delivering more than 3,000 tons of essential cargo and we are always on alert with our dedicated services, fleet and personnel”.

Volga-Dnepr has supported FEMA with charter relief flights since 2015. Cargo carried on the flights has included food, water, tents, telephone poles, generators and heavy machinery.

The carrier has also provided relief support to Soudelor (2015), Hurricane Maria (2017) and Typhoon Yutu (2018). This year, it operated six charters from South East Asia to the US, carrying PPE, to assist in the fight against Covid-19.

Last week, Volga-Dnepr Airlines teamed up with Chapman Freeborn Airmarketing to carry out a charter flight to deliver aid to refugees at the Moira camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.