Airline provides free transport to relief workers, cargo, donates $1 million to funds

Qantas Airways has announced on Friday that in the wake of the earthquake and series of tsunamis that have devastated South East Asia, it has taken the following actions:

• The airline will ontinue to operate its daily 747 services to Bangkok, and its regular services to Indonesia and India

• Send Qantas staff to Phuket to assist with relief efforts
• Operated a special 767 flight to Phuket to bring travelers back to Australia. Qantas General Manager of Aviation Health Services, Dr. Ion Morrison, and Qantas Nurse Robyn Noble traveled to Phuket to assist the injured on the ground and on the return flight
• Arranged to operate a special relief flight to Male in The Maldives and Colombo in Sri Lanka, carrying medical teams and equipment to both Male and Colombo and carrying passengers back to Australia from Colombo
• Offered free of charge travel to a team of volunteer doctors from Melbourne to Colombo
• Flown medical and charitable supplies free of charge to the region
• Announced that it would donate a total of $1 million to UNICEF, CARE Australia, Oxfam and World Vision to assist with their disaster relief efforts.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Airways, Geoff Dixon, said Qantas had been in close contact with the Australian Government since the disaster occurred to offer assistance, and the airline remained in constant contact to provide whatever capacity and help is required.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide any additional assistance required," Mr. Dixon said.

FMI: www.QantasUSA.com