ACS steps up services as Ukrainian crisis escalates

Air Charter Service (ACS), has now arranged over 20 relief flights to Poland and several more to Moldova on behalf of its customers carrying cargo such as tents and medical supplies, to aid the fleeing Ukrainian refugees in the country.

Headquartered in London, ACS is a leading air charter company. ACS has also deployed a team on the ground that has not only been facilitating the smooth flight operations but has also been purchasing and delivering supplies to various border camps and driving refugees to other destinations in Poland.

Ben Dinsdale, ACS's director of government and humanitarian services, said, "The stories are terrifying, and we are pulling out all the stops to make sure we do our part in the operation and get as many humanitarian flights into surrounding countries where Ukraine's refugees have been arriving. We expect many more flights over the coming weeks and months, as the refugee numbers continue to grow. Generally, the flights have been arriving into Poland, but we have also had several to Chisinau in Moldova, which is a short drive to the border."

He added that beyond focussing on the charters ACS was also looking at what could be done to help the families that the team in Poland was meeting. "Through our Charity Committee our employees raised more than £10,000 so far and we have put that to good use. The team in Poland hired a van and filled it with supplies including nappies, baby food, baby wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary products and snacks for children, and delivered it all directly to refugee camps. After finding out that a shortage of accommodation and onward transportation was becoming a problem, they then hired a minibus and have personally transported over 40 people from 12 families from the camps to major cities – some days they were driving for 15 hours."

Head of the ACS Charity Committee, Katie Ivie, said: "The team on the ground have done a great job so far, but we are trying to do more. We currently have a number of larger projects in the works to help families fleeing this conflict. ACS has a long history of working with Ukrainian airlines and customers, many of whom have family members either fleeing the conflict or who are stuck in Ukraine, so we are reaching out to do what we can. We are also directing anyone who will listen to donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee as no doubt there will be millions more refugees pouring into Europe to escape the fighting."