A Samaritan’s Purse Boeing 767-300F is carrying nearly 85,000 pounds of emergency supplies towards Nepal following catastrophic flooding across the country. The aircraft passed through Glasgow Prestwick Airport on 31 August and is currently in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Registered N367SP, the aircraft departed Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Monday morning. Prestwick served as an eastbound refuelling stop before the flight continued to Tbilisi.
The aircraft has not yet reached its planned destination of Kathmandu at the time of writing.
Nearly 40 Tonnes of Relief Supplies Onboard
The 767 is carrying heavy-duty tarps, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lights, and household water filters. Its total payload of nearly 85,000 pounds is equivalent to approximately 38.5 metric tonnes.
The supplies are intended for communities affected by the flash floods that struck the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems on 26 August. A destructive surge of water, mud, and debris swept through settlements, roads, and hydropower facilities across northern and central Nepal.
More than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead, while thousands remain missing. Roads and bridges have been destroyed, leaving some of the worst-affected communities difficult to reach.
The cargo aboard N367SP focuses on the immediate needs created by that destruction. Tarps can provide temporary shelter for families who have lost their homes, while blankets and hygiene kits will support people staying in evacuation centres.
Household water filters can provide safer drinking water where wells and pipelines have been contaminated by floodwater. Solar lights can also be used in communities cut off from Nepal’s electricity network without requiring generators or fuel.
Supplies to Be Distributed from Kathmandu
Samaritan’s Purse already has disaster-relief specialists in Nepal working with established local Christian partners. The organization has cooperated with several of these groups since the earthquakes that struck the country in 2015.
Once the Boeing 767 reaches Kathmandu, the cargo will be unloaded and transferred into this local distribution network. Trucks will move the supplies towards affected districts wherever roads remain usable.
The arrival of the aircraft will therefore complete only the international stage of the operation. Helicopters and smaller vehicles will still be required to reach communities isolated by damaged roads, collapsed bridges, and landslides.
The large shipment will nevertheless allow several types of essential relief to arrive in Nepal on a single aircraft. Instead of transporting shelter, hygiene, and water equipment separately, Samaritan’s Purse has combined them into one long-range airlift.
Boeing 767 Expands Heavy-Lift Capacity
N367SP has been operating with Samaritan’s Purse since October 2025. The Boeing 767-381F(ER), built in 2006, previously flew with ANA Cargo and Qantas Freight before being acquired by the relief organization.
The aircraft can carry up to 119,000 pounds of cargo across 31 pallet positions. It replaced the organization’s Douglas DC-8-72CF, which had a maximum cargo capacity of approximately 74,000 pounds.
This additional capacity allows Samaritan’s Purse to carry larger combinations of supplies or medical equipment on a single flight. During an earlier deployment to Jamaica, the 767 transported the organization’s largest Emergency Field Hospital in one movement, a task that had previously required several airlifts.
Its first humanitarian mission took place in October 2025, when it carried supplementary food, blankets, and solar lights for relief operations in Gaza. The flight to Nepal is the latest deployment during the aircraft’s first year of service with the organization.
Prestwick Continues to Support Relief Flights
Glasgow Prestwick has regularly supported Samaritan’s Purse aircraft operating international relief missions. The organization’s former DC-8 frequently stopped there to refuel while traveling between the United States and destinations farther east.
N367SP’s stop on 31 August continued that relationship. No aid was unloaded in Scotland; Prestwick provided the fuel and ground support needed for the aircraft to continue its journey.
The Boeing 767 has since reached Tbilisi but remains short of its final destination. Once it continues to Kathmandu, its nearly 40-tonne payload will move from an international aviation operation into the more difficult process of reaching flood-affected communities across Nepal.
