Air Serv International, Inc.

Air Serv International is a not-for-profit humanitarian aviation organization that was launched in 1984 as Africa entered one of its worst crises, marked by the Ethiopian famine. Since then, Air Serv International has played a crucial role in worldwide humanitarian emergency relief and development efforts. Initially based in Redlands, California, Air Serv International grew out of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a Christian missionary aviation organization. Over time, MAF and Air Serv International have separated completely and today, Air Serv International is an independent, non-sectarian, humanitarian non-governmental organization, whose underlying principles maintain its Christian roots. In 2001, Air Serv relocated from California to Virginia to be closer to Washington, DC, and its then main sources of funding. Since 1984, Air Serv International has flown millions of miles across the world in some of the most inaccessible places under the most difficult of circumstances including wars, internal conflicts, and natural disasters. In more recent years, Air Serv began flight operations in Afghanistan in 2002 and was the first civilian air operator allowed access to Iraq following the end of initial combat operations in the spring of 2003. In December 2004, Air Serv responded immediately to the devastating Southeast Asia tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and when the Pakistan earthquake hit in 2005, Air Serv helicopters provided vital access to the mountainous areas for organizations such as Doctors without Borders. The mission of Air Serv International is still to provide fast, safe, and reliable air transportation for humanitarian aid organizations into critically isolated areas. During humanitarian emergencies, ground transportation often proves impossible. Infrastructure may be damaged, completely destroyed, or simply non-existent. For more than 30 years, Air Serv International has consistently played a vital role in bringing in first responders and assessment teams, rescue personnel, and doctors and nurses. Our aircraft have carried thousands of tons of humanitarian cargo such as medicine, food, water, tents, mosquito nets, construction equipment, and four wheelers. Known for their lifesaving medical and security evacuations, Air Serv pilots and the organization as a whole have built a reputation within the aid community for providing that “last mile” service when no one else can or will.