Source: APO
On-the-ground presence is the essence of an effective health emergency response. Equally vital is the ability to deploy frontline teams, medicines and essential supplies to the communities that need them most. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola response, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) is providing that critical link, delivering responders and lifesaving cargo to the frontlines of the response.
Since the declaration of the outbreak, response efforts have been intensified and scaled up, including air operations, to meet the demands of the response. Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, which previously operated three flights per week, is now connected to the capital Kinshasa by five regular weekly rotations. In addition, dedicated Ebola response flights serve several affected areas, including Beni, Isiro, Buta and Kisangani towns, in addition to special flights to meet operational needs.
Every day, UNHAS teams adapt to meet the needs as the response operations have expanded. At the same time health measures have been strengthened to ensure safety. “Our work does not begin at take-off. From four o’clock in the morning, we check safety, fuel and aircraft disinfection. Passengers go through several checkpoints before boarding,” Says Daniel Honne Guissil, Ebola operations coordinator in Bunia.
To meet the growing demand, the team has been reinforced, increasing from three station managers to eight staff members, while the number of handlers rose from 14 to 30. Pilots, co-pilots, flight attendants, logisticians, handlers, airfield operations staff and ground personnel all ensure a vital mission: connecting affected areas, transporting response teams, delivering medical supplies and maintaining the logistical flow essential for a rapid and effective response.
“The contribution of UNHAS is invaluable. More than logistical support, it is a pillar of the response, linking almost all affected provinces,” notes Dr Steve Ahuka, Incident Manager of the Presidential Task Force on the Ebola response. For him, every pilot, handler or baggage operator is a frontline responder, just like doctors, epidemiologists or hygienists working in Ebola treatment centres.
“UNHAS supports the response across multiple hotspots from Bunia. Without this support, interventions would be delayed and ultimately ineffective,” he adds.
Most personnel, equipment and medicines destined for Ituri depart from the capital Kinshasa, located about 1800 kilometres by air from Bunia and nearly 3000 kilometres by road. By air, the journey takes just two-and-a half hours. Reaching Bunia by other means takes weeks: four days by road to Kisangani then by river to Kinshasa that can take between 10 and 20 days.
Humanitarian flights are the fastest and safest way to deploy responders and equipment needed for case detection and patient care. “Without UNHAS, this response would not have been possible. It is truly a critical partner,” says Dr Thierno Balde, WHO Incident Manager for the Ebola response, pointing out that Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, is the starting point for operations to North Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé provinces. “When the first cases were reported in Kisangani, the very next day, UNHAS mobilized a special flight, enabling us to support the response in Tshopo. That is an important example of its value.”
As of 9 September, 2026, in Ituri Province, UNHAS had carried out 876 flights, transported 6918 passengers and delivered over 100 tonnes of cargo. Behind these numbers lies the expertise, resilience and commitment of an entire team maintaining a vital air bridge between coordination centres, affected health zones and Ebola treatment facilities.
“Without the UNHAS air bridge no progress would have been possible to date. From the earliest hours of the response, they have stood with us alongside affected communities,” says Dr Anne Ancia, Acting WHO Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The heroes of this response are not only doctors and community mobilizers. UNHAS personnel are also our heroes.”
At the Bunia base, infection prevention measures are strict: aircraft and baggage disinfection, use of personal protective equipment, and quarantine for contacts. The risk of infection is real, but the ground and air teams remain determined. “We are not direct health workers, but without us there would be no medicines or medical staff on the ground. We are proud to be part of the chain that saves lives,” says Guissil.
For the teams, each take-off is a battle won against time and against Ebola. “We’re still saving lives, of course,” Guissil says.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.