The flight, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, left Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday 9 March for Warsaw, Poland carrying medical supplies and hospital beds for civilians injured in the war.
The cargo will be distributed to hospitals treating Ukrainian refugees, expanding medical capacity in the border regions.
The partnership involved medical supplies being picked up from relief organisation Project C.U.R.E’s warehouse in Illinois, which was transported to Chicago O’Hare airport and tendered to Air Canada by Flexport.
Air Canada Cargo then transported the cargo to Toronto for the flight to Warsaw.
Jason Berry, Vice President for Cargo at Air Canada says: “We know from our aid partners the critical requirement for much needed medical and humanitarian supplies and our global partner Airlink reached out to us to help transport these vital items quickly. Importantly, both Airlink and GlobalMedic have the infrastructure and teams on the ground to ensure that the shipments will get to their destinations right after our flight arrives.”
Steve Smith, President and CEO of Airlink says: “Getting the shipment to Poland on behalf of our NGO partner Project C.U.R.E. meant overcoming a challenging logistical environment, but I'm thrilled we could do it with assistance from our long-time friends and supporters Air Canada. This is the first of many cargo movements Airlink will carry out in support of Ukrainian refugees.”