#SalvALI 2026: life-saving flights for seriously ill children
The Flying Angels Foundation's national #SalvALI campaign is back from 9 to 22 November 2026, dedicated to financing air transfers for seriously ill girls and boys who need to reach hospitals and specialist care not available in their countries. Donations collected through salvali.org flow into the Flight Emergency Fund, used to cover the airline tickets of young patients and their companions, air ambulance transfers in the most complex cases and missions by specialised medical teams. The 2026 campaign is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ENAC, Assaeroporti and Aeroporti 2030.
ENAC renews its sponsorship of the #SalvALI campaign again in 2026, contributing to its dissemination through its channels and directly involving Italian airports, passengers and civil aviation operators. The aim is to support the Suspended Flights Fund and make timely air transfers possible for children in need of specialized care, in addition to the missions of health personnel engaged in humanitarian interventions. Director General Alexander D'Orsogna underlined the role of the airline sector in facilitating access to care, especially in cases where distance and economic difficulties represent an obstacle for families.
When flying becomes part of the treatment path
The Flying Angels Foundation intervenes in cases where distance represents a concrete obstacle to access to care. The Foundation collaborates with humanitarian organizations and pediatric hospitals to organize the most urgent transfers and, when necessary, also supports consular procedures for the issuance of visas. Among the stories recalled in the campaign is that of Neymar, a child suffering from sickle cell anemia who arrived from Ecuador at the Gaslini Children's Hospital in Genoa, where he was able to face a bone marrow transplant. The transfer was also made possible by the financing of the flight of his brother Aldair, the only compatible donor.
Since 2012, the Flying Angels Foundation has helped bring about 3,700 children from over 90 countries to treatment, collaborating with 120 non-profit organizations and 160 hospitals. In the same period, it has financed more than 7,200 airline tickets, including those related to over 80 medical missions organized directly in the patients' countries of origin. Since 2024, the Foundation has also been the leader of the Child Care Italian Network, a network made up of seven Italian Third Sector organizations committed to ensuring access to pediatric care for seriously ill children excluded from health care in their countries.
By the editorial staff of Avion Tourism Magazine
Text source: ENAC Press Offices and Flying Angels Foundation
Visual photo: Copyright © Flying Angels Foundation Press Office / Paola Iacona
