UNHAS stands for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service. UNHAS is a United Nations airline that offers passenger and cargo transport for the wider humanitarian community to and from areas of crisis and intervention. UNHAS provides access for humanitarian workers and light-weight cargo, allowing life-saving projects to be implemented.
The air service is managed by the World Food Programme. It is headquartered in Rome, Italy. UNHAS was initially established in 2001 for humanitarian purposes, but any United Nations organ may use its services. UNHAS is used in particular for transporting aid workers. According to WFP, it is the only humanitarian air service that gives equal access to all humanitarian entities.
UNHAS provides humanitarian access to the world's most remote and challenging locations, often under precarious security conditions, where no safe land transport or viable commercial flight options are available. Natural disasters and conflict often leave air transport as the only mean of access.
In 2023, the UN Humanitarian Air Service transported over 388,000 passengers and 4800 metric tons of cargo, such as medical supplies and equipment, to 437 remote and hard-to-reach destinations. UNHAS flights operated in 21 countries on three continents, serving 647 organizations.