IAG Cargo transports nearly 3,000 donated cricket items to Pakistan following flooding crisis

IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), has worked with the FCDO, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Lord’s Taverners, Football for Peace and the Sarwar Foundation to transport nearly 3,000 pieces of cricket equipment into Islamabad.

The business has donated capacity to transport items such as cricket bats and balls, gloves, pads, helmets, other protective equipment, and cricket clothing (trousers, shirts, jumpers and hats). This follows the recent flooding crisis the country is experiencing, where Pakistan is rebuilding not only its infrastructure but also human development.

The equipment forms five pallets under the belly-hold of British Airways’ Boeing 787 and will be shipped on 29^th November 2022.

More than 26,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed as a result of flooding, disrupting the education of an estimated 3.5 million children. This cricket equipment will be delivered to schools affected by the flooding to assist the return to a sense of normality and children’s’ development.

This donation is in addition to IAG Cargo’s movement of 34 tonnes of emergency aid to Islamabad in October, which included medical equipment, non-perishable food, clothing and tents.

John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer at IAG Cargo commented: “We are glad to support donation efforts in response to the humanitarian flooding crisis in Pakistan. As a cargo industry we have a role to play in delivering a range of essential goods every day and at IAG Cargo we are proud to use our global network and capacity to help children affected by the floods and bring some normality back to their lives.”

IAG Cargo has previously supported other humanitarian efforts, including 125 tonnes of aid to Ukraine this year, two shipments of medical aid to India in 2021 during a peak in COVID-19 cases in the country, and 20 tonnes of aid to Haiti following the 2021 earthquake, when the business worked with the UK government to transport shelter kits and solar powered lanterns for up to 1,300 families.