International catastrophes, such as the Haiti earthquake or the Pakistani floods, require the rapid transportation of aid supplies to the affected region. Frequently, the needed transport capacity is purchased on the private market. However, this solution has the disadvantage that aid organizations must deal with either substantial waiting times or high prices due to elevated demand. Furthermore, it is usually not possible to purchase a “one-stop contract” for the transport of aid directly into stricken areas, as the conventional aircraft typically available on the market cannot land in areas in which airport infrastructure has been destroyed. Instead, aid materiel must then be transported by land or air from staging bases further outside the disaster area. Thus, delays make the disruptions of life-saving services and goods unavoidable.
The project seeks to investigate how appropriate airlift capabilities can be provided especially for disaster situations, focusing on providing airlift capability in a way which minimizes the need to utilize commercial providers, while also improving upon the status quo.

For this project's paper cklick here.