WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by country | Page 117

Standard Project Report 2016
assessment for Torkham and two customer satisfaction and feedback surveys) in order to identify users' needs and
demands and to garner feedback for further improvements of the weekly flight schedules.
UNHAS also provided medical and security evacuations to the humanitarian community in Afghanistan, and a timely
response is of essence in such critical situations. The roads in Afghanistan are largely insecure and those in need of
help are often in the most inaccessible parts of the country. UNHAS is often the only option for delivering much
needed humanitarian assistance, moving aid workers and relocating people in times of crisis.
For instance, a total of 34 aid workers were trapped due to fighting between anti-government elements and national
security forces in Lashkar Gah early this year and in Kunduz and Farah provinces in October and December.
Despite these challenging situations, UNHAS planes managed to relocate humanitarian workers safely.
Such emergency situations highlighted the significance of UNHAS in supporting humanitarian operations in
Afghanistan. In 2016, UNHAS served the humanitarian community in the country by supporting the transport of
urgently required cargo and medical supplies: 11 medical evacuations aside from above-mentioned 34 evacuations
due to insecurity on the ground.
In response to the influx of returnees, UNHAS began providing rotations by helicopter between Kabul – Jalalabad –
Torkham and back twice a week following the cancellation of road convoys due to insecurity. These flights allowed
the continuation of proper monitoring of the emergency response to the returnees from Pakistan. For each flight, the
helicopter would drop the passengers in Torkham and re-position in Jalalabad, remaining on call in case of an
emergency on site until the pick-up of passengers later the same day.
Nevertheless, due to an incident involving an attack on a convoy, and the confirmation of air threats from different
anti-government elements on the Jalalabad-Torkham route, the risk was assessed as not acceptable and the flights
were discontinued.
Aside from the above, the UNHAS helicopter continued to provide essential flight services, crucial to the
humanitarian organizations and agencies working in areas where air transport remained the only means of travel
and ensured:
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Rapid deployment of humanitarian aid workers to their areas of operation;
Access for rapid assessment teams to move into locations throughout the country;
Safety of staff deployed in the