What is the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI)?

The Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI) is a nonprofit organization that conducts aerial surveillance missions to search for and locate missing migrant boats in the Atlantic Ocean.

What are the main risks for migrants traveling across the Atlantic?

Migrants traveling across the Atlantic face significant risks including harsh weather, dehydration, heat stroke, and long durations at sea, with over 3,000 reported deaths in 2025.

How does HPI assist in migrant rescue operations?

HPI uses aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance over vast ocean areas, spotting distressed vessels and alerting nearby merchant ships or maritime authorities to provide immediate support and rescue.

Home / Disasters and Accidents / Ocean Rescue: Pilots Race Against Time for Migrants

Ocean Rescue: Pilots Race Against Time for Migrants

10 Feb

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Summary

Nonprofit pilots conduct aerial surveillance for missing migrant boats.
Migrants face perilous journeys from West Africa to the Canary Islands.
Over 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2025.

Ocean Rescue: Pilots Race Against Time for Migrants

The Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI), a nonprofit organization, undertakes critical aerial surveillance missions to locate missing migrant boats in the Atlantic Ocean. During a recent operation, AFP accompanied HPI as they searched vast areas, some larger than Switzerland, for pirogues that had departed from West Africa but failed to arrive at their destinations.

These journeys, typically from countries like The Gambia and Guinea towards Europe's Canary Islands, have become increasingly perilous. Migrants face extreme conditions at sea, with dehydration and heat stroke being significant threats. The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras reported over 3,000 migrant deaths in 2025 while attempting to reach Spain.

HPI, which has been active in the Mediterranean since 2016, is a more recent participant in Atlantic operations. Their Beechcraft Baron 58 aircraft, nicknamed "Seabird," is deployed to cover large expanses of the ocean, focusing on areas difficult for other actors to reach. The aim is to spot vessels and alert nearby merchant ships or maritime authorities for swift rescue.