Daher has placed two TBM very fast turboprop aircraft and pilots on availability for France's Aviation Sans Frontières humanitarian organisation, providing airlift resources in transporting healthcare personnel and medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first TBM mission was performed on 7 April, transferring medical personnel from hospitals in southeastern and southern France (Avignon, Toulon and Nice) to Basel-Mulhouse Airport in the country's eastern region, which is one of the areas in France most affected by the coronavirus.
Aviation Sans Frontières has created a collaborative portal on its web site to bring together free-of-charge resources from aircraft manufacturers, business aviation operators, aircraft owners and others for the urgent transportation of healthcare personnel and medical equipment across France and in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its call for assistance is also being answered by other companies across France's aviation sector including oil and gas companyTotal, which is paying for fuel used by Daher in its TBM airlift flights, and Dassault.
Daher's transportation support for Aviation Sans Frontières is in addition to the company's mobilisation of personnel in its maintenance and logistics for aircraft and helicopters of the French armed forces and gendarmerie, as well as for TBM and Kodiak aircraft owners and operators who are providing assistance in the battle against the coronavirus.