easyJet and Virgin Atlantic to raise funds for UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine through charity football match

London, UK, 2022-Apr-01 — /Travel PR News/ — easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have announced that staff will meet on the pitch for the first time in aid of UNICEF and UK for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help raise funds for children and their families affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The airline vs. airline football match will take place at Horsham FC Ground on Sunday 3rd April with doors opening at 2pm and kick-off at 3pm. Entry is free of charge, but it is asked that spectators donate to UNICEF, easyJet’s charity partner, or UK for UNHCR, Virgin Atlantic’s charity partner. The match will also be available to tune into via a livestream. Virgin Atlantic’s onboard sustainable drinks partner NICE Drinks are kindly donating free recyclable cans of NICE Wines to attendees on the day, on a first come first serve basis.

For more information and to donate, follow this link for donations to UNICEF and this link for donations to UK for UNHCR.

The match was organised by easyJet pilot Jesse Loan and Kyle Reynolds, Cabin Crew for Virgin Atlantic.

easyJet has also been working closely with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to provide free seats on flights across their network. These can be used by UNHCR staff supporting the emergency response to the Ukraine conflict. This follows easyJet’s onboard appeal, which took place across all flights and its entire network, helping UNICEF meet the urgent needs of children and families affected by this crisis.

Virgin Atlantic is diverting all onboard donations throughout March to support Save The Children’s Emergency Fund, with monies raised going to help the children and families caught up in the conflict. The Virgin Atlantic Foundation is also donating £125,000 directly to UK for UNHCR. In addition, the airline has set up a Crowdfunder page for its people, partners, and customers to raise funds that will go directly to the UNHCR’s Ukraine appeal. The Virgin Atlantic Foundation has pledged to match the funds raised up to £50,000 until 30th April.

Jesse Loan, First Officer at easyJet said:

“The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has left us deeply shocked, and we wanted to come together to help raise funds and provide support to those impacted. I want to express my gratitude for the support the local community has provided for such a meaningful cause.”

Nick Barnes, First Officer and football team captain for Virgin Atlantic said: “We’re deeply saddened by the crisis that’s continuing to unfold in Ukraine. Joining forces with our industry colleagues at easyJet will allow us to raise money to send to the families in need through our incredible charities. We are so grateful for every single contribution and will continue to use our business as a force for good in these devastating times.”

About easyJet

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 96 million passengers in 2019 – more than 16 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft on nearly 1000 routes to more than 150 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £14m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

The airline takes sustainability seriously and is committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions flying by 2050. Together with its partners, including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Wright Electric, easyJet is working to accelerate the development of zero-emission aircraft technology. In the meantime, the airline is offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all its flights, at no additional cost to its customers, and only supports projects that are certified by Gold Standard or the Verified Carbon Standard, internationally recognised certification schemes. In addition, easyJet continues to renew its fleet, operate efficiently, and aims to fill most of its seats. Since 2000, over a 20-year period, the airline reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by over one-third, and aims to bring this down further.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching over 25 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.

The airline was named as Britain’s Most Admired Company of 2020 in the transport sector, retaining the leading position for a second year running. Britain’s Most Admired Companies study is the longest-running annual survey of corporate reputation in the UK.

About Virgin Atlantic 

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2021, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the fifth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 6,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 27 destinations across four continents. Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. On 3 February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers.

Sustainability remains central to Virgin Atlantic, having taken an industry leadership position through its long-standing support for SAF commercialisation and fleet transformation programme. Since September 2019, the airline has welcomed eight new Airbus A350-1000 with a further A350-100 and three A339s entering the fleet in 2021. By the end of 2022 the average fleet age will be just over six years, driving a fuel efficiency (CO2 /RTK) improvement of 30% compared to 2007. For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.

About UK for UNHCR

UK for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national partner for the UK, building solidarity, fostering partnerships and raising funds in the UK to help deliver global humanitarian relief for refugees through UNHCR’s work. www.unrefugees.org.uk

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. It delivers life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR also works to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. www.unhcr.org

UK for UNHCR is a registered charity in England and Wales (registered charity number 1183415).

Contact:

Press Office
01582 525252
www.easyJet.com
@easyJet_Press

Virgin Atlantic

press.office@fly.virgin.com

Source: easyJet

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