The first humanitarian-aid flight sent by El Salvador departed for Cali, Colombia’s Foreign Ministry announced at 12:50 a.m. Colombia time on August 12. Its arrival had not been confirmed by 1:15 a.m. The announced volume of 100 tonnes covers two flights, not this aircraft alone.
From offer to the first confirmed departure
At 1:09 p.m. on August 11, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had announced 100 tonnes of supplies on two cargo aircraft. According to his post, Colombia had requested humanitarian goods rather than Salvadoran rescuers; one departure was planned for that night and the second for August 12.
At 11:10 p.m., Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said it had coordinated the first flights expected in the following hours. The 12:50 a.m. post confirms a further step: it says the first aircraft left El Salvador for Cali. No separate takeoff time is given; the confirmation appears at 1:00 a.m. in the timeline.
One hundred tonnes planned across two flights
The Foreign Ministry says the two flights are to carry 100 tonnes in total. It lists food and provisions, hygiene kits, medicines and medical supplies.
Authorities have not published how the tonnage is divided between the aircraft. The aircraft type, departure airport, flight number, operator and arrival time are also not stated.
A concrete step, but not yet a delivery
The departure sets this announcement apart from the offers and preparations reported earlier. It does not establish that the aircraft has landed in Cali or that the supplies have been handed to affected communities.
The second flight remained scheduled for August 12. At 1:15 a.m., no additional original source had confirmed its departure, the first aircraft’s arrival or distribution of the cargo.
The next points to verify
The next expected confirmations concern the first flight’s arrival, the second flight’s departure, the exact allocation of the 100 tonnes and the places where aid will be delivered.
An aircraft that has departed, one that has arrived and aid that has been distributed describe three different logistical states; those markers are not interchangeable.