Qatar Airways will be the official airline partner of United for Wildlife (UfW), an initiative working to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and protect endangered species founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

"The partnership underscores Qatar Airways’ unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation. Qatar Airways and United for Wildlife will pursue campaigns around their shared mission to fight the illegal wildlife trade and advance the work of the United for Wildlife regional chapters," says an official release.

Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways says: “The illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens our global biodiversity, and poses a risk to health and safety, particularly in marginalised communities. We are taking measures to disrupt this illicit trade in order to conserve biodiversity and safeguard our delicate ecosystems. As the official airline partner, we believe that this ground-breaking partnership with United for Wildlife demonstrates our commitment to the Buckingham Palace Declaration, and represents another important step in our commitment to protecting wildlife. United for wildlife has brought together various businesses in a unique collaborative approach that share the same mission as ours. We remain committed to collaborating with our stakeholders to raise awareness of the impact on the illegal animal trade, working tirelessly to deliver Qatar Airways Cargo – WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative to protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.”

Amanda Berry, CEO, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales adds: “As a founding member of our transport taskforce in 2016, Qatar Airways has a longstanding partnership with United for Wildlife and has consistently demonstrated commitment to tackling the illegal wildlife trade around the world. They were the first airline to complete the IATA IEnvA IWT certification and have implemented several initiatives to help prevent wildlife trafficking through their network. Qatar Airways’ enhanced level of support in their capacity as the official airline partner is another example of their dedication to eradicating this harmful trade and preserving biodiversity for future generations.”

Qatar Airways Cargo launched its WeQare chapter: Rewild the Planet corporate sustainability initiative in 2020, and one of the milestones of the initiative was the successful transportation of seven lions from Ukraine in 2021, the release added.