“We help together" initiative: overwhelming willingness to donate after one week of relief flights

• Over 3,000 parcel shipments handed in at DPD parcel stores and prepared for onward transport in the FIEGE logistic centers
• Eight cargo flights already carried out by SunExpress and Lufthansa Cargo
• Around 450 tonnes of urgently needed relief supplies transported to the crisis area
• Generous donations from well-known companies such as SAP, Lufthansa Airlines, Rossmann, dm and Cosnova

Successful résumé after the airlift took off: Since the start of the airlift initiative, the aid consortium of SunExpress, Lufthansa Cargo, DPD, FIEGE, time:matters as well as Customs Broker GmbH, initiated by SunExpress, the joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has already transported more than 3,000 parcels, which private donors dropped off at DPD and which were then sorted and prepared for onward transport at the FIEGE logistics centers, on eight cargo flights to Turkey. This corresponds to a total tonnage of around 450 tons of billable weight. The companies involved in the initiative plan to maintain the airlift over the next few weeks while the need for aid on the ground is still so immense, and have set a target of flying around 1,000 tons of relief supplies to the earthquake region in Turkey.

SunExpress and Lufthansa Cargo have already been operating regular cargo flights from Frankfurt to Antalya in Turkey since February 10, 2023, loaded exclusively with relief supplies: SunExpress flies from Frankfurt to Antalya on Mondays and Tuesdays with a Boeing 737-800 converted into a cargo aircraft. Lufthansa Cargo has been operating the flights from Frankfurt to Antalya on Fridays since the initiative was launched, offering a total cargo capacity of 103 tons on board the B777 freighters. Following a first fully loaded Boeing 777 freighter on February 10, Lufthansa Cargo has also been able to operate two more relief cargo flights despite the ver.di strike on February 17. A fourth freighter flight took off for Antalya last Friday, February 24.

Since Monday, February 20, 2023, private individuals have also had the opportunity to help those affected by the earthquake in Turkey quickly and easily on site via the "We help together" initiative: Parcels up to a maximum of 20kg with urgently needed relief supplies can be handed in at the 7,700 DPD Parcel Shops, For this, a parcel label must be printed out in advance, which is free of charge for donation parcels. The initiative works closely with the aid organization AFAD in Turkey, which provides information about which relief supplies are currently urgently needed. An overview of the relief supplies currently needed is published on the initiative's website at www.wir-helfen-gemeinsam.de.

Companies can also make an important contribution and support the airlift as sponsors or with donations in kind. For example, SAP and Lufthansa Airlines as well as Cosnova have already sponsored freighter rotations of Lufthansa Cargo. Companies such as Rossmann, dm as well as Hanseatic help!, an aid organization that cooperates with Lufthansa Technik, have donated urgently needed relief supplies on a large scale and thus actively supported the initiative. Interested companies are asked to contact "Together we help" directly. Contact details can be found on the initiative's website.

"The airlift set up impressively shows how a great deal can be moved in a very short time with commitment and heart - both in cooperation with partners and within the Lufthansa Group. The images from the earthquake areas have deeply shaken us all and it is a great concern for us to use the resources we have in the best possible way to help the affected people on the ground. My thanks go to all those involved for their extraordinary commitment to ensure that the numerous donations reach where they are urgently needed as quickly as possible," said Jens Ritter, CEO Lufthansa Airlines.

"After more than a week of airlift, the willingness of the people in Germany to help is still unbroken. In fact, for our first flight on February 20, we already received significantly more relief supplies than we could pack into our 737-800 - despite cabin loading on the seats," said SunExpress CEO Max Kownatzki. "We continue to receive aid packages and for me one thing is certain: The airlift will continue as long as there is still a need for aid in the affected areas and the willingness of the population to donate remains so great."