One dirham from every Etihad ticket sold in 2017 to go to charity

Etihad Airways has said for every flights it sells this year it will donate one dirham in support of the Emirates Red Crescent. This is an addition to providing the charity with free cargo space for its humanitarian causes.

ABU DHABI // Etihad Airways will donate one dirham from every flight ticket sold in the UAE this year towards the UAE's Year of Giving causes, the airline announced yesterday.

The move is one of many initiatives by Etihad Aviation Group, including free cargo space for humanitarian causes. Each month, the airline will donate proceeds to Emirates Red Crescent's local and international projects, including For Your Sake, Somalia, which targets famine in the African nation.

Etihad guests will soon be able to donate to ERC during flights using their credit cards.

Etihad chief executive Peter Baumgartner and the airline’s executive vice president – commercial, Mohammad Al Bulooki, launched the initiative with an Etihad dirham podium inscribed with the message “A dirham can go a long way”.

“We are proud to embrace the Year of Giving, a remarkable initiative that truly reflects the Emirati spirit of philanthropy,” Mr Baumgartner said.

“This donation is one of many philanthropic initiatives we are announcing throughout 2017, in a mission to embed giving within our corporate culture and in the way we do business.”

Mohamed Ateeq Al-Falahi, Emirates Red Crescent’s secretary general, said the charity will continue to work with the airline throughout the Year of Giving to support the UAE’s humanitarian mission.

The airline’s Year of Giving drive is visible on its flagship aircraft, the Airbus A380, with all four engines of the double-decker displaying the Year of Giving logo to promote the national initiative overseas in Etihad’s A380 destinations of Sydney, Mumbai, London Heathrow and New York.

President Sheikh Khalifa this year announced that 2017 would be the Year of Giving.

Etihad Aviation Group carries dozens of community engagement initiatives in the UAE and internationally, including programmes in India, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Serbia.

Last year, employees volunteered more than 4,300 hours of time in support of charities and community causes.