Qatar Airways has signed the United for Wildlife Transport Industry Declaration at Buckingham Palace in the presence of The Duke of Cambridge and The Lord Hague of Richmond.
Qatar Airways Chief Officer (Cargo) Ulrich Ogiermann attended the ceremony to sign the declaration, which focuses on the illegal trade in African elephant, rhino, some big cats, and pangolins that originates from and transits through East Africa.
“We are extremely proud to be part of this initiative, which recognises the need to protect endangered species from illegal trade and transportation,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar al-Baker. “It is important that we work together as an industry to prevent violations of the regulations that have been put in place to safeguard these animals and to adopt a zero tolerance policy regarding illegal wildlife trade.
“As one of the world’s leading airlines, serving customers across six continents, we acknowledge our responsibility to society, to the community and to the environment; therefore we have a strict policy governing the types of animals and animal products that are banned for carriage on board Qatar Airways.”
The UFW declaration, which is supported by the International Air Transport Association, commits the participating airlines to increase passenger, customer, client, and staff awareness about the nature, scale, and consequences of illegal wildlife trade, as well as to develop mechanisms to enable the transport sector to receive timely information about the transport of suspected illegal wildlife and their products, including methods of transportation, key routes, ports and other locations.
Qatar Airways is one of a small group of leading aviation industry players invited to attend the signing ceremony in London.
As an inaugural signatory to the United for Wildlife Transport Industry Declaration, Qatar Airways acknowledges the scale and complexity of the challenge of illegal wildlife transportation and hopes its leadership encourages other airlines to work together to conserve the world’s natural heritage for generations to come.
Qatar Airways Cargo, which is the world’s third biggest international cargo carrier, also adheres to industry recommendations and best-practice for the transportation of live animals through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha. The innovative airline offers transport and provides dedicated handling facilities for horses, domestic pets, livestock, tropical fish and small mammals.