Page 6 - LUA September-October 2025 for Magzter

COVER STORY

Cormac O’Sullivan, Global Director
of Emergency and Relief Logistics at
Kuehne+Nagel, stressed Africa’s vastness
as a logistical hurdle: “The distances
between countries, seaports, airports,
and major highways are significant,
requiring careful planning for any
logistics operation. Infrastructure
development, therefore, is a key factor in
enabling fast and reliable emergency and
relief logistics.”
Customs regulations remain another
thorn. Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral
Aviation, pointed to bureaucratic delays
that slow urgent cross-border aid. Hanno
Burwitz, Head of Commercial for Middle
East, Africa, South Asia & CIS at Lufthansa
Cargo, agreed, noting that digitalisation
and harmonised rules would improve
efficiency but remain uneven.
Still, operators innovate. Tohir
Choriev, Head of Government and
Humanitarian Projects – IMEA at
Chapman Freeborn, explained: “We
ensure the speedy delivery of vital
aid, enable passenger and medical
evacuations, and deploy aircraft for In November 2024, The distances
even the most remote areas.” From Lufthansa Cargo between countries,
airdrops to long-term aircraft leases, such delivered 100,000 seaports, airports,
flexibility keeps humanitarian logistics
alive despite formidable challenges Mpox vaccines from and major highways
“Chapman Freeborn can supply aircraft Brussels to Kinshasa, are significant,
capable of serving regions with damaged demonstrating a requiring careful
infrastructure or airstrips where
scheduled services cannot land, or we can crucial role in global planning for any
set up airdrop operations,” added Choriev. health initiatives. logistics operation.
A SYSTEM THAT REFUSES HANNO BURWITZ CORMAC O’SULLIVAN
Kuehne+Nagel
Lufthansa Cargo
TO STOP
Even in the face of conflict, climate
disasters, and funding shortfalls, “Astral Aviation has been at the challenges. Convoys cross Niger and Mali,
humanitarian logistics refuses to stop. forefront of humanitarian air cargo airlifts carry medicines into Sudan, and
When war closes roads, aid turns to for over two decades, providing rapid ships supply Mozambique after storms.
air. When borders shut, agencies pre- response to crises across Africa,” These operations rely on precise planning,
position stocks. When budgets shrink, said Sanjeev Gadhia. “We support coordination, and rapid rerouting.
logisticians focus on the most life-saving humanitarian organisations to deliver Nairobi is a major hub, hosting the ICRC
items. Every delay can cost lives, while aid through our scheduled and charter Logistics Support Center and the EU’s
every delivery sustains survival. flights in over 50 destinations. During humanitarian warehouse. Between July
Despite severe underfunding, emergencies such as drought, floods, 2024 and June 2025, the ICRC dispatched
humanitarian actors in 2024 still epidemics, and conflict, we frequently nearly 6,000 tonnes of aid—around 2,000
delivered food aid to over 5 million serve the Horn of Africa, the Great truckloads a month—into Ethiopia, Sudan,
people, provided water and sanitation Lakes, and parts of Southern Africa. Our Somalia, Mozambique, Mali, Nigeria,
to 3.3 million, and gave nearly 1 million ability to mobilise quickly allows us to Burkina Faso, and Cameroon.
children access to education. Behind deliver aid directly into affected areas, “On average, we transport between
these numbers are teams navigating even when infrastructures are limited.” 1,000–3,000 tonnes of humanitarian
blocked roads, disrupted ports, extreme Every shipment of food, shelter, or cargo annually, depending on the scale
weather, and fragile infrastructure. medicine must overcome immense of emergencies,” Gadhia added, citing

4 LUA SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025