A CHARTER flight organised by Wiseway Logistics departed Sydney Airport at 3pm Monday loaded with 100 tonnes of donated emergency supplies to Wuhan – the epicentre of the outbreak of coronavirus.
In a show of support for the “mercy dash,” Wiseway’s co-founder and managing director was joined by the Chinese consul general, H.E. Gu Xiaojie and representatives from AusTrade, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia China Business Council, The Global Foundation and key corporate donors such as A2 Milk, China Southern Airlines, Sydney Airport and dnata.
The flight, manned by two pilots, was the first direct flight between Sydney and Wuhan since the virus broke out and access to the city was restricted. In the interest of safety, the flight carried no passengers, there was a strict two-hour turnaround and the pilots did not leave the aircraft. Freight was unloaded in Wuhan by personnel from humanitarian groups who met the flight at the airport.
Wiseway worked closely with the Chinese Government to receive permission to conduct the “mercy dash” and then collaborated with its clients, corporate Australia and community groups to generate the much-needed humanitarian aid.
Florence Lee, who was born and raised in Wuhan, is the managing director of Wiseway. She said, “It is so heartening to see such a ground-swell of support from the corporations and community groups making donations to send directly to the centre of the outbreak and provide much needed supplies and support to those who need it most”.
Donations and support in kind was given by many Australian corporations, including A2 Milk, NAB, Qantas, Sydney Airport, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Red Cross as well as many Australian-Chinese organisations, including the Australian Wuhan Association, Australian Hubei Association, and Chinese alumni from Australian universities.
