Flydubai, in response to the national Coronavirus combat efforts, flew in, Thursday, a planeload of basic medical supplies to Somaliland.
The carrier which, on 19 March, suspended its 4-times a week flight schedule to the Republic of Somaliland responding to WHO coronavirus containment directives, flew in today to deliver supplies which included hand sanitizers and face masks – supplies which have been shipped off to neighboring Djibouti before the country fully woke up to the inescapable realities of the marauding pandemic.
It is the first international shipment to contribute to the Somaliland effort at a time Mogadishu, playing the “I am Somalia’ ploy is getting all the international support towards the virus fight effort but keeping it to itself – as usual.
Omar Saeed Duale, GST and the CEO of FlyDubai ground operations in Somaliland, said the airline’s humanitarian flight was a gesture partly interpreting the deep ties the Emirates had forges with Somaliland.
Part of FlyDubai’s travel guide to Hargeisa, Somaliland reads: ‘Whether taking in stunning views from unspoiled mountain paths or enjoying the hustle and bustle of the local markets, Hargeisa is a rapidly evolving and vibrant city just waiting to be discovered.’
The airline first touched down at Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport (EIA) on June 9 June 2016 where prominent officials, states people, business moguls and political leaders from both sides of the ocean awaited it to inaugurate the maiden flight.
FlyDubai, Air Arabia, and Ethiopian Airlines are the three top-most international carriers presently plying Somaliland’s lucrative air routes. Kenya Airways is expected to join them once the current COVID-19 scare wears off with the pandemic successfully contained internationally.
