WestJet donates 40 tons of air cargo capacity to Turkey–Syria earthquake relief
On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated southeast Turkey and northwest Syria, impacting more than 23 million people. As rescue personnel and humanitarian agencies around the world are working to locate survivors and organize recovery efforts, the WestJet Group has pledged 40 tons of cargo capacity through WestJet Cargo, to aid these efforts.
In coordination with Freight Forwarders, WestJet Cargo will collect shipments from across Canada to be transported to impacted areas, leveraging the entire freight capacity of two WestJet 787 Dreamliner flights from Calgary.
In addition to WestJet Cargo’s donated capacity, the WestJet Group has offered seats onboard transatlantic flights to help transport relief workers into a position to best assist.
“During a crisis of this devastating magnitude, the distribution of humanitarian aid and transportation of relief workers and emergency services through air travel and cargo capacity is essential. I am grateful to our partners and our compassionate network of WestJet Group employees for their collaboration to ensure that collectively we can do our part to provide immediate attention and support to those impacted by this tragedy,” said Kirsten de Bruijn, WestJet Cargo, Executive Vice-President, Cargo.
The WestJet Group is encouraging Canadians and its employees who would like to contribute, to donate to the Canadian Red Cross and/or GlobalMedic. Notably, the Government of Canada has committed to matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross made before February 25, 2023, up to $10 million.
