AirAsia Joins Sabah Quake Relief Effort

8th Jun 2015

Malaysian carrier AirAsia has put some of its aircrafts to aid the Sabah earthquake relief effort. The airline is cooperating with Malaysia Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association and will bring transport relief items to Kota Kinabalu.

The first shipment, which included 350 jackets, has already departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (kLIA2) yesterday at around 9:25 in the evening. The airline will also send other items, such as blankets, within the next few days, as it gets a request from the Sabah operational team.

Executive Chairman of AirAsia Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said:

We have also been in touch with the rescue agencies, offering our assistance to carry volunteers or relief items as required. The airline is truly saddened by the tragic incident. Our heartfelt sympathy and condolences go to the families affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake has hit the town of Ranau in the Sabah district on Friday, 5^th June, with around 6.0 MMS (moment magnitude scale). The quake lasted 30 seconds and killed 18 people, wounding another ten.

This was the strongest earthquake felt in Malaysia since the 1976 earthquake.

Previous AirAsia Relief and Rescue Efforts

AirAsia is no stranger to relief and rescue efforts. Prior to Sabah quake, the Malaysian carrier aided rescue missions following the Asian Tsunami in 2004, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008, Typhoon Neat in the Philippines in 2011 and Typhoon Haiyan, also in the Philippines, in 2013.

The carrier has also operated rescue flights from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur in 2008, helping people who were left stranded after the Indonesian airport closed off, and has carried out fundraising initiatives after the 2008 Sichuan quake and the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Finally, the airline has also mounted a rescue operation after the 2009 earthquake that hit Sumatra, Indonesia with a 7.6 magnitude.