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Making a positive difference for Syria’s refugee children

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Making a positive difference for Syria’s refugee children

As a global airline, we fly thousands of passengers around the world daily, but rather than just land and take-off again, why not also fly to help those in desperate situations? In partnership with UNICEF, we did just that.

From loading the cargo hold to packing the overhead bins and also filling the seat containers, 13 tons of school and emergency supplies were flown by Norwegian and UNICEF to the world’s second largest refugee camp Za’atari on the Jordan-Syria border.

Last year we flew emergency aid to The Central African Republic, and you may wonder why we do these types of trips. It’s simple - to help children most in need of support. Syria is currently high on the political agenda but there are still people who lack hope and the basic resources to have a positive future.

Visiting the camp that is home to some 80,000 people, half of which are children, was truly an eye-opening experience. Witnessing the children’s eyes brighten up when they first saw the books, notepads, pencils, rulers, black boards and chalk that our passengers generously donated was unforgettable. The children were full of ambition, telling us of their dreams to become doctors, teachers, lawyers and even pilots.

This was not only an important trip for the refugees but also for the pilot flying a busy roster or the technician working to keep our planes flying. This gave them a unique opportunity to make a difference. As such, we encouraged our colleagues from around the business to nominate who they felt should join the trip. After receiving hundreds of nominees, some of the crew chosen for the flight were refugees themselves including the co-pilot and cabin chief, which made the trip even more special.

After spending time with the boys and girls at camp Za’atari, we saw firsthand how a simple gesture of donating school supplies and emergency aid could go a long way in improving their wellbeing. We hope the children will always remember they have our support and the chance to prosper.

We would like to thank our passengers and UNICEF’s partners for raising more than £155,000 and our colleagues at Norwegian for helping UNICEF’s work to create a brighter future for Syrian refugee children.

Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian

View a video of our visit at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rr-Cfs9UKA&feature=youtu.be

To read more about our work with UNICEF and to make a donation please visit: https://www.norwegian.com/uk/about/company/corporate-responsibility/partnership-with-unicef/ 

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The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.

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