In a heartwarming gesture, Turkish Airlines offered rescue dogs who participated in search and rescue operations following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria a ride in business class instead of the cargo hold.
To honor the service of the rescue dogs and their handlers from around the world who took part in the rescue mission, Turkey flew them home free of charge on special flights.
“We have decided all crews, including the search and rescue dogs, will fly business class back to their countries, as an appreciation for their heroic efforts in Türkiye” said Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines Ahmet Bolat.
“We also wish to extend our gratitude to our friends from abroad for their overwhelming support and aid in response to the crisis along with our missions, embassies, and consulates for their coordination in order to deliver aid material from other countries to the affected region with our cargo flights,” he added.
Turkish Airlines had flown dogs from countries including China, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Hungary. Mexico also sent its famous team of search-and-rescue dogs to Turkey.
To support the rescue teams and their canine companions, Turkish Airlines announced that it offered the dogs to fly in the cabin with their handlers, including in business class, to show gratitude to these heroic rescue teams and their dogs, who play a critical role in search and rescue operations in the affected areas.
It is “the least we could to do show our appreciation for these heroic dogs’ sincere and heroic efforts,” a Turkish Airlines representative told the media.
The announcement has been welcomed by many as a recognition of the important role that dogs play in such rescue efforts.
The February 6 devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria have killed at least 50,000 people with many more injured. The death toll in Turkey is about 45,000, according to Turkey’s disaster management agency.
Some 214,000 buildings containing 608,000 apartments either collapsed or suffered heavy damage, Erdogan said, as quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency.