The European Commission is launching a new Humanitarian Air Bridge operation “for those most in need in Syria”, to deliver emergency healthcare and other essential supplies, as well as increasing its humanitarian funding. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “The collapse of the Assad regime offers new hope for the Syrian people. But this moment of change also carries risks and brings hardship. With the situation on the ground so volatile, our help to the people of Syria is ever more important. This is why we have increased our humanitarian funding for this year, to more than €160 million. We are also launching a humanitarian air bridge carrying vital supplies, such as food, medicines and shelter items. I will be further discussing the delivery of humanitarian aid in my meeting with President Erdogan” next Tuesday. EU funded aid flights will bring a total of 50 tonnes of health supplies from EU stockpiles in Dubai, to be transported to Adana, in Turkey, for distribution across the border in the coming days. A further 46 tonnes of health, education and shelter items from another EU stockpile in Denmark will be trucked to Adana and provided to Unicef and the World Health Organisation for distribution within Syria.