Pakistan

British Airways' support for emergency relief programmes

British Airways has supported emergency relief efforts for some of the world’s major disasters including the Boxing day 2004 Tsunami and the 2005 South Asia Earthquake.

Through the British Airways Change for Good partnership with UNICEF, money is set aside for humanitarian emergency relief. Funds have been donated to emergencies such as the Tsunami relief effort, the Niger food crisis, the South Asia Earthquake and to the Kenya water shortage and ensuing Famine.

British Airways' response to the Boxing day 2004 Tsunami included:

Courtesy of UNICEF/Lars Bech

A £1 million donation was given by British Airways to UNICEF – this comprised £500 000 in cash and £500,000 in cargo space British Airways employees donated £51,000 through the payroll giving scheme. The sum of this was equally divided between the Disasters Emergency Committee and UNICEF. British Airways’ customers raised over £800 000 through on-board donations to Change for Good.

British Airways' response to the 8th October 2005 South Asia Earthquake included:

British Airways' funded a 747 cargo freighter flight to Islamabad on 9th December 2005. UNICEF, Islamic Relief, Muslim Hands, West Midlands Fire service (in partnership with the Midland International Aid Trust) were each given 30 tonnes of cargo space. Items sent included UNICEF’s “School in a box kits”, winter clothing, tents, blankets, an x-ray machine and steel girders for reconstruction. British Airways' donated thousands of in-flight blankets that were included in the cargo; employees volunteered to pack all 16 000 blankets in their own time.

A small team of British Airways' employees met the freighter on arrival at Islamabad. The team accompanied Islamic Relief and Muslim Hands to Muzzafarabad, Balakot and the surrounding areas that had been devastated by the earthquake to see the delivery of the relief goods to some of the affected areas.

Other support included the provision of discounted tickets to doctors and their teams and waiving over 1000kgs of excess baggage charges for relief and medical supplies.

Our own employees through their own fundraising initiatives, raised in excess of £50,000 for the relief effort which was donated to specific charities such as UNICEF and Islamic Relief.