Qatar Airways has renewed its sponsorship as official airline partner to Orbis UK for a further three years. The airline has been a proud supporter of Orbis and its blindness prevention programmes since 2012.
Orbis is a leading global charity that brings people together to fight avoidable blindness through access to quality eye care. Together with its partners, Orbis trains, mentors, and inspires eye care professionals in places with the greatest need to save and restore vision in their communities.
The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is a unique aircraft that supports the charity’s global effort to transform lives. The world’s only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft is equipped with a state-of-the-art teaching facility complete with an operating room, classroom, and recovery room for patients. On board, Orbis’ world-class medical volunteers and clinical staff share their knowledge and expertise with local eye care teams across the globe.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said: “Qatar Airways is proud to strengthen its partnership with Orbis UK for another three years as Official Airline Partner – a further testament of our unwavering commitment to giving back and supporting the global community. We recognise that the gift of sight empowers individuals to reach their full potential, and we remain steadfast supporters of the fight against avoidable blindness through our partnership with Orbis UK.”
Orbis UK Trustee, Dr. Robert Walters said: “For nine years, the Qatar Airways Group has been a generous supporter of our organisation and we’re proud to continue onto this next stage of our partnership. Thanks to Qatar Airways’ renewed support, the Orbis team will have access to free flights to programmes to continue the fight against avoidable blindness in person when it i is safe to do so. Until this point, we remain committed to supporting our partners virtually and through our in-country programmes.”
In March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Orbis had to postpone its in-person Flying Eye Hospital programmes. Whilst the Flying Eye Hospital is temporarily grounded, Orbis' mission is not. Orbis quickly pivoted to provide virtual Flying Eye Hospital programmes through their telemedicine platform Cybersight, to ensure that eye care professionals could continue to grow their skills.
Qatar Airways recently became the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star Covid-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. This follows HIA’s recent success as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star Covid-19 Airport Safety Rating. The national carrier of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 130 destinations.
