Mission Aviation Fellowship
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is the world’s largest humanitarian airline, flying to 1,478 remote destinations. That’s more than the top three commercial airlines combined.
MAF operates in more than 25 countries across the developing world, delivering aid, medicine and relief, transporting personnel and responding to natural disasters in areas widely inaccessible by road.
Founded by a handful of RAF veterans in 1945, MAF’s earliest vision was to help isolated people in the aftermath of WWII, using aircraft as force for peace rather than conflict. By 1947, a small team raised enough money to buy MAF’s first aircraft. In January 1948, a pioneering survey flight across Africa identified huge areas of vulnerability.
Today, MAF partners with roughly 2,000 aid, development and mission organisations; enabling them to reach vulnerable communities in the safest and quickest way possible – not just in Africa but across the globe.
MAF’s partners include:
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The United Nations - UNICEF
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USAID - Medair
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DFID - Red Cross
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World Health Organisation - Water Aid
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World Food Programme - Samaritans Purse
In 2019, MAF flew:
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409 passengers every day (that’s enough to fill a Boeing 747)
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3,043,526 nautical miles (that’s 3 return trips to the moon)
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5 million kg of freight (that’s the weight of 20 cows every day)
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More than 2,000 partner organisations
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917 medical evacuation flights (medevacs)
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123 aircraft in more than 25 developing countries
An MAF plane takes off or lands every four minutes across the developing world, delivering help, hope and healing to some of the remotest places on earth.
MAF’s vision is that every community, however remote, is given access to the essentials we need for life.
Christ Church has supported MAF in prayer and financially for many years now. Some members of the congregation have been personally helped while serving as missionaries and the brother of previous member was a pilot with MAF.
Christ Church representative: Andy Hird
