Qatar is writing history yet again. Fighting COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for every country in the world. Qatar has been extending much needed help to every part of the globe through supplying essential medical supplies and other relief material to the needy nations. The country has been instrumental in repatriating hundreds of thousands of people stranded in different countries to their home countries, which attracted wide-spread appreciation from every corner of the world.
On Monday, Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of the country, announced that it will give away 100,000 free tickets to frontline healthcare professionals as token of extending thanks to their selfless service during this debilitating pandemic. This came as a surprise to most of the airlines in the world as the industry is passing through the most difficult period since the beginning of the aviation industry. While all of them are trying their level best to shore up their fast slipping revenue, the award-winning Qatar Airways offering 100,000 free tickets is not only a real surprise but something which is worth imitating by other giants in the industry.
This is not the first time that the Qatari flag carrier is grabbing headline since the pandemic began. The airline has been at the frontline of global efforts to repatriate stranded passengers by maintaining 24/7 operations in recent months, including the provision of over 100 charter flights to repatriate over one million people from every part of the globe. While the aviation industry is faced with challenge of risk in keeping the airlines flying during the pandemic, Qatar Airways has been more bothered about the humanitarian aspect which it considered as a duty to the world. Hence the airline was brave enough to take the plunge and help out its valued travellers held up in far-flung areas of the globe, whether it is in Asia or Africa.
In addition to transporting travellers, the airline has been ensuring the vital food and medical supply chain works without disruption by establishing air bridges between countries, operating exclusive cargo service between exporting and importing countries and carrying vital supplies in bellyhold, which offered a much needed breather to countries across the world.
People around the world are fast-recognising the selfless and brave service the medical professionals right from doctors to hospital attendants are rendering. Different countries were adopting different measures to appreciate their contribution in diverse ways, some by arranging flypasts by military aircraft, some others by showering hospitals and healthcare workers with flower petals from the sky etc. But the gesture by Qatar Airways is a unique one which salutes the valour of the real COVID-19 soldiers across the world. The healthcare professionals around the world will consider it as a motivation and they will definitely cherish this offer with gratitude.
