Ukrposhta: We have fine-tuned the delivery of humanitarian goods

In the two months of the war, Ukrposhta, Windrose Airlines and Dnipro LLC have delivered 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid worth about USD 25 million to Ukraine 

Since February 24, 2022, the airspace over Ukraine has been completely closed to civil aviation. For many companies, this would mean the suspension of all air deliveries and the replacement of logistics routes with delivery by land transport. The situation was especially threatening to export postal items organized by postal and logistics operators, in particular items addressed overseas, to the United States.

One of such operators, JSC “Ukrposhta”, before the war used to deliver to the United States more than 120 tonnes of export postal items per month. The closed sky over Ukraine has endangered not only the business of the postal operator, but also the businesses of more than 60,000 Ukrainian entrepreneurs selling their goods at online marketplaces and sending them to customers with Ukrposhta. For them, being unable to deliver abroad meant a sharp decline in revenue, especially in the context of the war and the general decline of the country’s economy as a result of the Russian invasion.

In just two weeks, the situation changed dramatically. Already on March 8, Ukrposhta sent the first charter plane with Ukrainian exports to the United States. Less than two weeks after the start of the war, Ukrposhta, together with its longtime partner, the Ukrainian Windrose Airlines, resumed direct charter flights to the United States. To make the delivery of Ukrainian goods abroad possible, Windrose obtained the permission for the Ukrainian-flagged aircraft carrying Ukrainian exports to the US to land and be serviced at Warsaw and Lublin airports in Poland once a week during the war.

But this is just one part of the story. The second challenge was the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Abroad, many concerned Ukrainians and foreigners were wiiling to help Ukraine. The problem was how to deliver the aid quickly and securely.

Therefore, Ukrposhta decided to load the plane with humanitarian aid on the way back from the United States to Warsaw. The partner of Ukrposhta and Windrose Airlines in the delivery of humanitarian goods from the US is Dnipro LLC, the freight forwarding company that has been operating in the market for almost 20 years. These three Ukrainian businesses established regular flights between Ukraine and the United States, and in the two months of the war have organized the collection and delivery of 300 tonnes of medications, medical supplies and special food for the military worth about USD 25 million. The load has been delivered by eight charter flights from New York to Warsaw and Lublin, and then delivered by Ukrposhta’s trucks to medical institutions and volunteer organizations.

“The synergy that has emerged as a result of the cooperation of the three companies that have decided to do the right thing is bringing amazing results. About a dozen medical institutions in Ukraine are already using the goods we have delivered from the United States. And the need is still there. We have fine-tuned the delivery of humanitarian goods to the smallest detail, so we are confident that each pallet will be delivered from donors to Ukraine on time”, commented Igor Smelyansky, Director General of Ukrposhta.

“The spirit of the Ukrainian defender has ignited the hearts of Ukrainians abroad and united them to help our heroes together! In the two months, we have managed to collect and send 1,600 tonnes of necessary aid (part has been delivered by the charter flight, and part has been sent to Gdansk by ship). And we are not going to stop here”, said Nazar Kolodka, Director of Sales And Business Development at DNIPRO LLC.

In this cooperation, DNIPRO LLC acts as a consolidator and freight agent accepting all goods at its warehouse in the USA, Windrose Airlines provide transportation of the goods to Poland, and Ukrposhta ensures their delivery to Ukraine and to destinations, mainly in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, most affected by the war.

Ukrposhta is delivering humanitarian cargo from the United States via Poland to Ukraine and to destinations at its own expense. GLOBE AIR CARGO, as the GSSA for Windrose Airlines in the United States, undertakes all necessary work to organize the booking and coordination of cargo handling at the airport of departure.