Sharjah aviation company sends aid to flood-affected Pakistan Operating from its hub at Sharjah International Airport, RUS Aviation sent one aircraft to Karachi and has pledged to send more to some of the worst-hit areas.Sharjah: As millions of people affected by floods wait desperately for much-needed food aid in Pakistan, a Sharjah aviation company has offered its services for free to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).Operating from its hub at Sharjah International Airport, RUS Aviation sent one aircraft to Karachi and has pledged to send more to some of the worst-hit areas.A month-and-a-half after monsoons caused devastating floods throughout the country, submerging an area the size of England, eight million people remain dependent on handouts for their survival.Many said the supplies were too slow in arriving, Gulf News reported earlier.The floods have ruined 3.6 million hectares of rich farmland, and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation said farmers urgently needed seeds to plant for next year’s crops.Triple threatThe UN has warned that the slow pace of aid pledges could impede relief operations. It said Pakistan faced a triple threat to food supplies with seeds, crops and incomes hit.The WFP, one of the largest providers of humanitarian relief material to disaster-affected regions around the world, has been at the forefront of relief effort in Pakistan during the floods that have ravaged the country.RUS Aviation, a UAE company, pledged its support to the Pakistan relief operation by offering to fly cargo to the flood-affected areas free of charge.”This national disaster in Pakistan has caught the world’s attention to an extent that has not been seen before. As an organisation that has been involved in some large cargo movements, we could not just stand and be onlookers,” said RUS Aviation managing director Saleh Al Aroud.Synergy”With WFP’s outreach into the most remote areas of Pakistan which have been extremely challenging, we felt the right synergy. We had all the logistics, transportation and supply chain in place and we are glad that this partnership worked out well.”

Source: gulfnews.com