Why Xiamen Airlines Finds Favor with the United Nations

BEIJING, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ChinaAviationDaily.com published an article regarding Xiamen Airlines' practices to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Below is the article:

The United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) session on "Review of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation and interrelations among goals: Discussion on SDG 13 – Climate Action" was held at the UN headquarters in New York on July 12, local time. Due to the cooperation between Xiamen Airlines and the United Nations on SDGs, Xiamen Airlines, as the sole Chinese business representative, was invited to join this session as a leading discussant by the President of ECOSOC. Mr. Zhao Dong, Chairman of Xiamen Airlines, participated in it. He shared Xiamen Airlines' sustainable development practices, summarized the valuable experience in energy conservation and emission reduction, and expressed the gritty determination to diffuse the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally in the discussion. What he said was well received by the guests present and was highly rated as an excellent Private Sector representative practicing sustainable development. As the overriding part in HLPF, the session was moderated by Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. High-level officials including the Special Envoy of the 2019 Climate Summit, president of COP-25, and Executive Secretary of ESCWA attended the meeting and gave speeches.

So why did Xiamen Airlines have the honor to be invited by the UN?

The World's First Airlines Supporting SDGs
During his visit to Boeing headquarters in Seattle, the US in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping recalled as he witnessed the Boeing 787 aircraft delivered to Xiamen Airlines, "in 1985, or 30 years ago, I was the executive vice mayor of Xiamen who was in charge of Xiamen Airlines and involved in its start-up". He rated Xiamen Airlines as the "Epitome of the Development of China's Aviation Industry". After 35 years of development, Xiamen Airlines now has more than 200 airplanes and is operating nearly 400 routes. A dozen intercontinental routes have been launched, covering Asian, North America, Australia, and Europe. It has been voted by air travelers as the Best of Chinese Airlines for 27 consecutive quarters, was the first company in the service industry to win the China Quality Award, and has created a miracle in the aviation industry of China to remain profitable for 32 consecutive years.

Xiamen Airlines focuses on its sustainable development and enjoys great popularity and reputation in China, and that is top reason why the UN take the cooperation between Xiamen Airlines seriously.  On February 15, 2017, Xiamen Airlines signed an agreement with the UN at its New York headquarters, making it the first airlines in the world to work with the UN on the SDGs. At the signing ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Cristina Gallach, highly praised that "Xiamen Airlines will play a helpful role in promoting these goals to reach a larger number of people". "In so doing, Xiamen Airlines demonstrates its own strong commitment to corporate social responsibilities, and hopefully, this exemplary role will motivate other enterprises in China and other countries to join in the global SDGs cause," said Liu Jieyi, Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, during the ceremony.

To Take Responsibility of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction
As it seeks sustainable development, Xiamen Airlines actively fulfills its social responsibility and promotes energy conservation and emission reduction. This makes it a good example of Private Sector to join the HLPF Climate Action session.

At this meeting, Mr. Zhao Dong shared some sustainable development measures that Xiamen Airlines adopted with the delegates present. Xiamen Airlines has formulated the Xiamen Airlines Sustainable Development Plan in 4 categories: continuous safety, low-carbon operations, green services, and benefits sharing.  In terms of low-carbon operations, as many as 70 energy-saving and emission-reducing measures are developed each year. Besides, Xiamen Airlines operates one of world's youngest fleets, with an average age of only 5.7 years, which outperforms its counterparts in fuel efficiency and aerodynamic performance, hence effectively reducing carbon emissions. In addition, by introducing new-model airplanes equipped with the world's latest energy-saving engines, Xiamen Airlines' fuel consumption per ton-kilometers has decreased by 14.8 % in last five years, surpassing the global average improvement in fuel efficiency (IATA data shows that the global average level is 2.3% per year or about 11.5% in five years), and fulfilling the commitment to the UN to reduce emissions by 300,000 tons.

Speaking of the aviation emission reduction worldwide, Mr. Zhao suggests following the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)"and the guidance of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to establish a governance model that is based on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and supplemented by international consultation and dialogue. At the same time, he also express his expectation to more efficient and cost-effective clean energy solutions that could lead the aviation industry to sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development Goals Advocator
Xiamen Airlines has worked hard on raising public awareness of the Goals globally since it signed an agreement with the United Nations in 2017. Every month, the SDG videos are broadcasted onboard and in lounges, while the SDG pages are publicized in in-flight magazines.

On January 26, 2018, the Boeing Company delivered the world's only SDG branded aircraft to Xiamen Airlines, which is officially confirmed by the UN, in Charleston, the US. "I am pleased to convey the Secretary-General's appreciation for Xiamen Airlines' strong support in promoting the SDGs. Painting an aircraft with special SDG livery is an innovative and very exciting way to raise awareness of the global development agenda, and the first of its kind," said UN Under-Secretary-General, Alison Smale, who attended the delivery ceremony. The aircraft attracts global attention to the Goals and was named "United Dream" in a naming campaign that attracted a massive number of netizen around the world. A series of theme flights have been hosted. Through cabin decorations, in-flight videos, green food, theme events, and customized services, Xiamen Airlines has turned the United Dream into an "air ambassador" for the SDGs. The theme events have made 750 million times of exposure in total. On May 13, 2019, the aircraft was used to complete the test flight in the Beijing Daxing International Airport, one of the world's three largest airports. This event was aired more than 20 times in different CCTV programs and channels, including rolling broadcast in the most-watched Network News Broadcast. Hundreds of millions of people again focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, further expanding its global influence.

Earlier this year, in recognition of our marked performance in advancing the SDGs, the UN renewed the agreement until 2030, the end of the Agenda.

There is still a long way to go until 2030. Speaking of future planning, Mr. Zhao Dong said that Xiamen Airlines is adjusting corporate development strategies by implanting the concept of sustainable development into corporate culture, strengthening aviation safety, improving operational efficiency, and reducing emissions, which can truly stimulate sustainable development in aviation industry. Meanwhile, Xiamen Airlines will also keep seeking for more opportunities and platforms to actively diffuse the Goals globally, so that more people can participate in supporting the SDGs and jointly creating a better world.

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