Taiwan's Air Force on standby to send assistance to disaster-struck ally Haiti

台灣空軍待命向受災友邦海地提供援助

Return journey will be over 37,000 km and involve several refueling stops


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two of Taiwan’s Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft are standing by on the tarmac awaiting confirmation to airlift emergency relief supplies to disaster-struck ally Haiti.

Taiwan’s Caribbean ally urgently needs international aid after suffering heavy casualties from the 7.2 earthquake on Saturday (Aug. 14), according to a Liberty Times report.

Senior officials have instructed the Air Force to inspect the C-130s and prepare for the mission.

The mission is now awaiting the green light from the U.S and other countries involved in coordinating international efforts, which include getting permission to fly through countries' air zones en route to Haiti. Once arrangements are made, the aircraft can be fully loaded with supplies, and the rescue team will immediately take off.

The Air Force’s C-130 aircraft have a time-honored record for international rescue missions. In January 2010, another magnitude 7 earthquake hit Haiti, causing heavy casualties.

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) dispatched the Air Force to perform overseas rescue operations, and C-130s carried a full load of medical and rescue supplies to Haiti.

Recalling that last mission 11 years ago, officials said the planes carried 5.3 tons of supplies a distance of 37,000 kilometers there and back. The journey was broken up into several legs, with the aircraft first landing at U.S. bases in Guam and Hawaii to refuel before stopping on the U.S. West Coast and then at a Florida base before heading down to the Caribbean.

Upon their descent into Haiti, the flight crew realized there were too many international rescue planes on the runway, so they had to land in neighboring Dominican Republic and send the supplies overland.

The Air Force also sent two C-130s to assist the Philippines after a typhoon caused heavy casualties there in 2013.