Doha, Qatar - October 16, 2013

Volunteers from Etihad Airways and the UAE Red Crescent recently visited the Emirati Jordanian field hospital in Al Mafraq  and the Muraijeb-Al-Fhood camp to distribute basic humanitarian relief to Syrian refugees.

The United Nations (UN) released information this week confirming that Syrian refugee numbers now exceed two million, more than half of whom are children. More than 5,000 refugees continue to leave Syria every day.

Etihad Airways and the UAE Red Crescent Authority have been actively involved in supporting the affected Syrian population since the outbreak of the unrest. Their combined efforts in reaching people inside and outside Syria have played an essential role in providing humanitarian assistance from the United Arab Emirates to the Syrian people.

Etihad Airways' President and Chief Executive officer, James Hogan said: "Etihad Airways is very pleased to be able to offer logistics assistance in support of the significant humanitarian aid provided by the UAE government. I am especially proud of our staff both from the UAE and Jordan who have committed their time to provide on-going help to alleviate the stress and suffering in this crisis."

This Etihad Airways-UAE Red Crescent initiative builds on the work of previous humanitarian missions to distribute relief goods and more than 50,000 airline blankets to refugees in the Al Zaatari camp where volunteers provided hands-on support and made a real positive difference to the lives of the refugees.

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About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, began operations in 2003, and in 2012 carried 10.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad Airways offers flights to 94 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, with a fleet of 80 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and over 83 aircraft on firm order, including 41 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 10 Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways also holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia and Aer Lingus, will acquire 49 per cent of Air Serbia from January 2014, and, subject to regulatory approval, will acquire 24 per cent of India's Jet Airways. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com

For more information contact:
Etihad Airways Corporate Communications
Mob: +971 25111034
Email:  himam@etihad.ae

© Press Release 2013