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Qatar Airways staff have raised over QR145,000 to support the efforts of Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) to raise awareness of breast cancer as well as to provide care to people affected by the disease. The amount was collected through a number of ‘Think Pink’ fund-raising initiatives that took place during the airline’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign in October.
The donation cheque was handed over at a small ceremony, held on 6 December 2020 at Qatar Airways’ headquarters, attended by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, and the QCS Chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabr Al Thani.
Earlier in October, Qatar Airways in partnership with QCS, joined forces with Hamad International Airport (HIA), Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) to host a month-long breast cancer awareness programme for its thousands of employees worldwide. The activities included webinars, free mammogram screenings and fundraising events.Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are very proud to see our employees embrace such an initiative to offer their support to QCS. It is a great honour to hand over this cheque on behalf of our staff. Qatar Airways is a dedicated supporter of QCS, and committed to continue raising awareness of breast cancer worldwide.”
QCS Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Jabr Al Thani, said: “We are extremely grateful to Qatar Airways and its employees for their support. They have demonstrated the importance of community engagement, and their efforts will not go unseen. Every initiative goes a long way to combatting breast cancer. This year as in previous years, Qatar Airways supported QCS to highlight the importance of cancer prevention, early detection and patients’ psychological and financial support. This praise-worthy initiative aligns with QCS’ objectives to reduce the burden of cancer and ensure that cancer control remains a priority within our communities. We are grateful to Qatar Airways for leading this influential effort.’’
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Qatar Airways also engaged its passengers and the wider community in ‘Think Pink’ activities. Passengers were offered custom-designed, limited edition amenity kits and pink-themed special menus were served onboard selected flights as well at Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Business Lounge. Additionally, flight QR9901 took a special flight path ‘drawing’ a ribbon – the symbol of breast cancer awareness – in the skies above Doha.
The airline recently won two BOC Brilliance Awards for ‘Best Social Media Campaign’ and ‘Brilliance in Employee Engagement in HR’ for its 2019 Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, which shows Qatar Airways’ commitment to promoting breast cancer awareness across a broad and diverse base including its employees, passengers as well the wider community.
Qatar Airways is also a patron partner of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a non-governmental organisation focused on leading initiatives that unite and support the cancer community to ensure cancer control continues to be a priority in global health.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.
