Qatar Airways is set to launch a series of initiatives and special events as part of the ‘Autism Awareness Month.’ The national carrier continues its successful collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for the second consecutive year by hosting a programme of activities throughout April.
A series of seminars and training will be conducted by HMC doctors, specialists and therapists. Qatar Airways wants to ensure its cabin crew and ground staff have a better understanding of the disorder so as to support autistic passengers.
HMC doctors and therapists will guide and advise cabin crew members on how to effectively support and assist autistic passengers while travelling on Qatar Airways flights.
“Qatar Airways has always been a major advocate of social and humanitarian causes,” the airline’s Human Resources senior vice president Nabeela Fakhri said.
An information kiosk has also been set up at the Qatar Airways operations centre where medical representatives from HMC will distribute informative brochures about the disorder.
World Autism Awareness Day is held every year on April 2, with the goal of bringing attention to autism. To mark the day, the national carrier will host a lively Kids Fun Day at Kidzmondo Doha, where pilots and cabin crew will have the opportunity to interact with children with autism and their parents.
In addition, to support World Autism Day, Qatar Airways staff across the airline’s network will be wearing blue – the official colour of Autism Awareness month - and posting messages about how they will contribute to raising awareness among the community.
During the month, Qatar Airways staff and cabin crew will be visiting Renad Academy, a member of Qatar Foundation, to spend a day with autistic children.
In-house training sessions on autism awareness conducted by Qatar Airways First Aid trainers will be given to every crew member as part of their recurrent training.
A special social media campaign will be launched on Qatar Airways social media platforms with a hashtag #qatarairways #autismawarenessmonth, to foster support and further increase awareness.
The airline also organised a photo shoot with its cabin crew, enabling it to publish autism-related content across the airline’s popular social media channels, helping to further increase global awareness.
Corporate Social Responsibility is an important part of Qatar Airways’ values. Last year the airline renewed its sponsorship as the Official Airline Partner to Orbis UK for a further three years, supporting its blindness prevention programmes.
Qatar Airways continues to support the Educate-A-Child programme, which helps provide quality primary school education to millions of out-of-school children globally.
The airline also partnered with Doha’s Shafallah Centre, Qatar’s special needs association, to provide special needs adults with employment opportunities at Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways is all set to mark ‘Autism Awareness Month’ with a series of initiatives and special events.
