MAF is born

• 1944 Murray Kendon proposes MAF concept


• 1945 MAF office opens in London, UK


• 1947 First aircraft dedicated (Miles Gemini)


• 1948 Gemini survey of Africa


• 1949 De Havilland Rapide purchased for Sudan

Flights take off

• 1950 Sudan: first MAF regular flight operations commence


• 1953 First flights from Sudan into Ethiopia


• 1957 Sudan: single-engined Cessna 180 aircraft introduced


• 1958 Survey of south-western Ethiopia


• 1959 Kenya: MAF programme starts

Operations expand throughout Africa

• 1960 Ethiopia: MAF programme starts


• 1964 Sudan: expulsion of missions and closure of MAF programme there after 14 years


• 1965 Chad survey


• 1966 Chad: MAF programme starts

Struggles and blessings

• 1974 Ethiopia: six MAF aircraft now operating


• 1975 Chad: bitter persecution of the church


• 1976 Finnish Council of MAF formed


• 1977 Tanzania: MAF programme starts


• Ethiopia: Marxist government restrictions force closure of MAF's operations. Programme ends after 17 years


• Sudan: a respite in the civil war. MAF programme restarts


• 1978 MAF Netherlands formed


• 1979 Chad: fierce fighting and civil war in Chad forces MAF to fly its planes out of the country after 13 years

A time of growth

• 1981 Chad: programme reopens


• 1982 FFM, later MAF Sweden, formed


• First European MAF conference held with representatives from Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and UK


• Tanzania now has six aircraft operating all over the vast country from five bases


• 1983 Sudan: after seven years of further operations (21 years in all in Sudan) programme closes due to government restrictions


• 1985 Chad famine


• 1986 MAF Norway formed


• 1987 Uganda: MAF programme starts


• 1988 Madagascar: MAF programme starts


• 1989 MAF Denmark formed


• MAF Europe Board officially constituted with representatives from Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and UK

50 years of MAF

• 1990 Finland, Denmark and Norway join MAF Europe


• 1991 Namibia: MAF service initiated


• Mongolia surveyed


• 1992 Ethiopia: programme restarts


• MAF France and MAF Germany established


• 1993 MAF Europe now operating 30 aircraft and has over 80 family units overseas


• Relief operations with MEDAIR in northeast Somalia


• Kenya operating five aircraft


• Relief flights into Sudan from Kenya


• 1994 Rwanda crisis: MAF involved


• Tanzania now has 11 aircraft


• Rapid expansion in Ethiopia


• MAF Europe reconstituted. Appoints a separate Chief Executive to concentrate on overseas operations


• European national supporting groups, including UK, focus on gathering the necessary resources for the operations


• 1995 Rwanda crisis continues


• MAF 50th anniversary celebration meetings


• Ethiopia now operating five aircraft


• 1996 Rwanda crisis still continues


• Crisis in Zaire (now DRC)


• MAF Italy formed


• 1998 Opening of new Nairobi operations centre


• Ethiopia: flying stops again


• 1999 Ethiopia: Abyssinian Flight Services formed


• Substantial increase of flights into Sudan


• Funds provided for Caravan and hangar in Mongolia

Help amid tsunamis and cyclones

• 2000 First flight in Mongolia


• Mozambique crisis


• 2001 Funds provided for Grand Caravan and operations centre for MAF South Africa


• 2002 Handover of Bangladesh operations from MAF Sweden to MAF Europe


• Further crisis in DRC


• 2003 Relief flights into Sudan from Uganda


• Evacuation of 1,700 people in DRC by MAF and AIM AIR


• Second Grand Caravan provided for South Africa


• MAF Europe and MAF Australia seeking closer collaboration


• 2004 MAF South Africa and MAF Europe working together


• 2005 MAF flights aid tsunami relief in Aceh, Indonesia


• 2006 New base established in Juba, Sudan


• MAF Europe reconstituted as MAF International, a new organisation responsible for co-ordinating MAF's operations and resources globally. MAF groups from Australia (including PNG and Arnhem Land), Canada, New Zealand and South Africa join as members


• 2007 First flight in Timor-Leste


• Massive cyclone Sidr devastates communities in southern Bangladesh. MAF provides support for relief and ongoing redevelopment work


• MAF rescues hundreds of people during post-election violence in Kenya


• 2008 First pilot family for 25 years arrives in Juba, southern Sudan


• Training base opens in South Africa


• MAF evacuates from Chad for four months following rebel advancement


• 2009 The first Kodiak 100 aircraft funded by MAF UK is delivered and deployed to Indonesia

responding to today's needs

• 2010 MAF is central to the relief efforts in Haiti providing flights and logistical support following the devastating earthquake in January


• 2011 Southern Sudan votes to secede becoming officially independent on 9 July. MAF flights continue to provide support in South Sudan as well as responding to evacuation requests from areas of unrest.
  
  As famine grips East Africa, MAF sees a surge in flying activity to bring relief workers and aid to the worst affected areas, particularly with regards to the soaring number of refugees escaping conflict and famine


• 2012 New common MAF logo launched by all MAF groups worldwide


• 2013 MAF Malaysia Berhad incorporated, designating MAF as an NGO in Malaysia


• 2014 MAF groups re-established in the Philippines and Singapore for the purpose of resourcing MAF’s worldwide ministry.
• 2015 MAF begins flying in Liberia. MAF also sets up a helicopter co-ordination service to provide humanitarian assistance following two earthquakes.