Orbis Flying Eye Hospital will soon touchdown at Doha International Airport, where it will be on display until 12 November

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is a fully operational aircraft equipped with medical supplies, an operating room, a classroom and a recovery room

DOHA, Qatar ─ Qatar Airways is proud to announce that it will host the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital at Doha International Airport from late October-12 November, ahead of the launch of Doha Healthcare Week.

The Flying Eye Hospital, operated by global eye health charity Orbis, is a fully-equipped cargo plane with state-of-the-art medical equipment, an operating theatre and a classroom, making it a truly unique teaching facility. Every year, the aircraft visits countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, partnering with local hospitals to deliver specialist training through its team of world-class medical volunteers, carry out treatments, and raise vital awareness about the importance of eye health.

The Orbis team will support Doha Healthcare Week by organising public and private tours inside the aircraft, as well as hosting on board workshops, including a Nursing and Ophthalmology session. The global eye health charity will also have a booth at the award-winning Hamad International Airport (HIA), to raise awareness about the importance of providing care to those with avoidable eye conditions, as part of Doha Healthcare Week. The aircraft will also be stopping in Doha to celebrate the Qatar Creating Vision initiative, which is funded by Qatar Fund for Development and led by Orbis. Together they are on track to deliver an impressive 5.6 million eye care treatments to children across India and Bangladesh by mid-2020.   

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is proud to be a supporter of Orbis, as we believe in supporting communities in need and creating a tangible difference in the world. We are especially pleased to host the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital during Doha Healthcare Week, as it is a wonderful way to raise awareness of the critical need for medical eye treatment around the world. We look forward to welcoming the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital to Doha..”

Orbis UK Chief Executive, Rebecca Cronin, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Qatar Airways for once again hosting us and for their ongoing hospitality and unstinting support. We are proud to work with Qatar Airways to bring the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital to Doha and look forward to welcoming people on board in the weeks ahead.”

Qatar Airways has been a proud supporter of Orbis since 2012. The multiple award-winning airline officially renewed its sponsorship with the global eye health charity in 2017 as the Official Airline Partner for three years.

Since 1982 Orbis has been working to prevent avoidable blindness in areas of need. Working with a global team of volunteers and the world’s leading ophthalmic medical experts, each year Orbis delivers between four to eight training programmes on board the Flying Eye Hospital. It also runs long-term programmes in 18 countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Zambia, among others.

The multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Business Class Seat’, ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.

Earlier this year, Qatar Airways revealed a host of upcoming new global destinations, including the announcement that it will be the first Gulf carrier to begin direct service to Luxembourg. Other exciting new destinations to be launched by the airline include Tallinn, Estonia; Mombasa, Kenya; Valletta, Malta and Da Nang, Vietnam.