The British Red Cross International Logistics team visited Edinburgh Airport to get a better understanding of airfield operations and the logistics involved in the turnaround of passenger and cargo aircraft.

Led by Kenny Nicol, General Manager, and Colin Reid, Safety & Security Manager, the British Red Cross (BRC) watched a British Airways City Flyer turnaround, which gave some of the team the opportunity to get inside the aircraft hold before visiting the baggage sortation area.

The team also had a tour of the airfield and watched two cargo aircraft being loaded. Some of the BRC then experienced sitting in the pushback tug during aircraft pushback operations.

The BRC Logistics teams manage the purchase, storage, dispatch and deployment of relief goods into major disaster areas to support the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, which deliver humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations impacted by conflict and natural disasters.

Relief goods are managed centrally by the team from London and Geneva and then held globally in regional logistics hubs in Panama, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi where they are then transported by air, trucks or ships.

The BRC Logistics team are currently supporting active emergency response operations in Afghanistan, Haiti, Myanmar, Lebanon and Syria.