In August 2025, when the deadly Ebola virus broke out in Bulape, a remote region of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, time was the enemy. With challenging roads, abandoned airstrips and a lack of reliable infrastructure, delivering medical help seemed nearly impossible. But thanks to the EU Humanitarian Aid Flight (EU HAF) operated by UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), life-saving supplies and health workers were flown in by helicopter.
On September 4, the Congolese Ministry of Health officially declared the country’s 16th Ebola outbreak — and the race to respond began. With EU humanitarian funding an air bridge was set up and brought in medical teams, vaccines and protective gear.
Sometimes, crews made up to 3 flights a day, landing on makeshift clearings and soft earth that could barely hold the aircraft’s weight. Yet they kept flying.
In just 3 weeks and 10 flights, the EU Humanitarian Air Flight operation, transported 229 passengers and delivered nearly 9 metric tonnes of essential supplies.
Health workers in Bulape geared up in protective outfits, working in challenging field conditions. Every vaccine drawn was a potential life saved and a line of defence against the deadly virus.
‘If the EU HAF helicopter operated by UNHAS was not there, the situation would have been catastrophic, ’ said Dr Abdallah, a frontline doctor in Bulape.
‘In an epidemic like this, we need materials quickly — and the EU and UN Humanitarian Air Service made that possible,’ said Dr Abdallah with a sigh of relief.
In the arms of her mother, a child receives a shot of Ebola vaccine. Reaching remote communities with these vital doses was made possible thanks to aerial support and the dedication of local health teams.
The EU mobilised emergency support to Democratic Republic of the Congo
In response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, the EU mobilised a diverse response package, including:
- deploying a helicopter as part of the EU Humanitarian Air Flight operation
- delivering a temporary office and accommodation set-up in the most affected Bulape province, hosting 36 healthcare experts for 3 months
- €1.8 million in emergency humanitarian funding to strengthen the first response on the ground by our humanitarian partners
- 2 experts from Norway trained in medical evacuations and patient isolation had been deployed as members of WHO response and coordination team via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism
