Operation Sahayogi Haat cargo download passes 4 million pounds

by Maj. Ashley Connor
JTF-505 Public Affairs

5/18/2015 - KATHMANDU, Nepal  -- The Nepal army, in partnership with Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group supporting Operation Sahayogi Haat, has offloaded more than 4 million pounds of cargo from 80 aircraft since arriving at the Tribhuvan International Airport here May 5.

"Four million pounds of cargo is the most amount of cargo the 36th CRG has downloaded in one disaster relief operation," said Capt. Brint Ingersoll, 36th CRG operations officer. "Very soon we will begin to scale back our operations on the ramp to allow the Nepal army and Nepal airline contractors to assume all of the cargo downloads."

At the beginning of the operation the average download time was around two to three hours depending on the type of aircraft. Almost two weeks into the operation, the 36th CRG has been able to cut the download time for most aircraft in half, averaging 974 pounds of cargo downloaded every minute. Once downloaded, humanitarian aid is sent out to the villages or to the distribution center the same day it arrives in Nepal thereby avoiding any congestion at the airfield.

The 36th CRG, under Joint Task Force-505, is a 42-person team that represents more than 20 Air Force career fields needed to extend air mobility in support of disaster relief missions in nearly any type of environment.