WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by country | Page 116

Standard Project Report 2016
Project Objectives and Results
Project Objectives
The primary objective of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) special operation is to provide safe
and reliable air transport services to the humanitarian community in Afghanistan. UNHAS’s primary role is to
support critical life-saving activities implemented by the United Nations, local and international NGOs, and other
humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, access to project sites remained a key challenge for humanitarian agencies due to inhospitable
terrain, limited infrastructure and prevailing insecurity. Additionally, poor administrative and regulatory provisions
continued to hamper commercial aviation growth in the country. During most of 2016, a limited number of
commercial air carriers operating in Afghanistan were in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) regulations. At the end of the year, two ICAO-compliant local commercial carriers served a restricted
number of destinations within the country and also experienced concerning safety issues and air accidents.
The special operation was in line with WFP's Strategic Objective 1 ‘Save lives and protect livelihoods in
emergencies’ and aimed to:
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Provide safe, efficient and cost-effective inter-agency air transport services for 158 United Nations agencies,
NGOs and donor organizations involved in humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan;
Respond in a fast, safe and flexible manner to the needs of the humanitarian community;
Carry out timely medical and security evacuations when requested/as required;
Transport light cargo, such as medical supplies; information and communications technology equipment; and,
Assist the national authorities, in conjunction with international authorities, in search and rescue operations,
when called upon.
Approved Budget for Project Duration (USD)
Cost Category
Capacity Dev.t and Augmentation
27,980,682
Direct Support Costs 3,309,911
Indirect Support Costs 2,190,341
Total
33,480,934
Project Activities
During 2016, with one additional aircraft reinforcing the fleet to four aircraft, UNHAS in Afghanistan has transported
27,782 passengers, an increase of 9.4 percent from the 25,400 passengers transported in 2015.The following two
activities were carried out under this special operation:
1. Flight planning and operation for passenger and light cargo movement and,
2. Medical and security evacuations of aid workers when required.
In order to achieve the project objectives, UNHAS operated four aircrafts in 2016 – three 19-seater Beechcraft
1900D – as well as one 19-seater Mi8-MTV helicopter, all based in Kabul, to extend the operational capacity of the
fleet and enhance the cost-effectiveness. One 19-seater Beachcraft was added to the fleet last year. Additionally,
the fleet enabled UNHAS to obtain economies of scale and density by further ensuring maximised utilisation rates,
enhanced evacuation capabilities and timely flight re-organisation when one aircraft was grounded due to technical
or other operational reasons. Furthermore, it enabled the operation to be more cost-effective and augmented its
reliability by maintaining responsiveness and efficiency. UNHAS carried out three online surveys (one needs
Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of (AF)
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