Photo used for illustrative purpose.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has been awarded the Diamond status in the inaugural ‘APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying’ audit, for their efforts in ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitisation.

The award aims to help re-build confidence in air travel by creating a global standard for health and safety measures. The judges took into consideration the implementation of COVID-prevention measures across the customer journey.

"2020 brought tremendous challenges to the aviation industry, and the Diamond status is testament to the strength of Etihad’s health and safety credentials and response to the pandemic. Etihad has demonstrated its resilience and designed industry-leading measures to combat COVID-19, including the Etihad Wellness programme," Terry Daly, Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing at Etihad Aviation Group, said.

He added, "As part of its efforts, Etihad is the only airline in the world to make COVID-19 testing mandatory before every flight, and since August 2020, 100 percent of our guests have tested negative before they fly."

Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, commented, "Etihad Airways has raised the bar for health safety standards in the industry by initiatives such as Wellness Ambassadors, free PCR COVID-19 tests and using AI to identify high-risk passengers at its hub in Abu Dhabi. Taking such hospital-grade measures in ensuring health safety goes a long way in bolstering trust among travellers."

Etihad also provides complimentary COVID-19 wellness insurance to all guests, no exceptions, as further evidence of its commitment to passenger safety and wellbeing.

WAM