An Airbus flight on behalf of the International Red Cross took off this morning on route to Nairobi, Kenya, to help support hunger relief efforts in Somalia. This flight carrying 41 tons of high energy food is the second Airbus relief flight following an earlier one in early August this year.

The A340 test aircraft was loaded in Toulouse by Airbus volunteers and left for Nairobi at 6:30 a.m. Piloted by Captain Jean-Michel Roy, the flight is scheduled to arrive in Nairobi around 15:30 p.m. local time.

The aid flight mission arranged between the Federation of International Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Airbus Corporate Foundation follows an appeal by the United Nations to private companies to provide logistical help to deliver aid to people in areas of Southeast Africa.

The IFRC is the world's largest emergency aid agency, providing relief to over 190 countries. The Horn of Africa is afflicted by a severe drought and is facing one of the worst humanitarian hunger crises in years with over 12 million people affected.

Since its launch in December 2008, the Airbus Corporate Foundation, has completed some 20 relief flights to several destinations all over the globe.