NATO relief flights to Pakistan have continued, with at least six C-130 cargo aircraft delivering supplies over the weekend via the “air bridge” between Incirlik, Turkey, and Islamabad, Pakistan.
Two more flights were scheduled to reach Islamabad later Monday “after having staged overnight in the Gulf Region,” according to a NATO news release.
“Eight C-130s have been deployed to Incirlik from France, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom,” the release read. “Eight additional aircraft from Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been activated and are on call at their home bases.”
NATO Response Force flights have so far delivered more than 76 tons of supplies, including tents, blankets and stoves, officials said. Most of the supplies have been donated by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees , which is the United Nations’ refugee agency.
NATO and U.S. military cargo aircraft are also using Ramstein Air Base in Germany as a hub to transport donations from allied countries to earthquake victims.
U.S. Air Force C-17s have flown aid from Europe to the region, said Maj. Riccardo Dentici, who is serving as a liaison between NATO and U.S. forces at Ramstein.
“We are ready to fight, ready to do war, but also ready to operate in this way,” he said last week. “And this is the way we most like.”
U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Army Europe are providing logistics support, personnel and equipment to help in handling storage and loading of the NATO-donated relief supplies to Ramstein, according to USAFE.
NATO’s air bridge to Pakistan has been using the Trainer Cargo Aircraft of NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force based in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
