When the affected Government requests and accepts international assistance during the aftermath of a disaster, relief professionals are immediately deployed along with relief items. The capacity of airports in the affected countries to manage the influx of humanitarian aid and personnel largely determines the quality of humanitarian assistance delivered to the affected people. When every second counts, the swift transit of relief aid and workers is paramount for an efficient response.

As a relief entry point, airports play an instrumental role in most crisis situations and hence it is essential they support, facilitate and enhance their response capacities. However, despite the efforts of Governments, relief operations face many challenges such as the prioritization of landing slots, import regulations, cargo handling and storage capacities. Consequently, airport preparedness is a key element of disaster preparedness, especially as a large number of airports are located in highly vulnerable locations. It is therefore crucial that airports do not become bottlenecks but instead positively contribute to an efficient response to disasters.