AirAsia Group airline has officially forged a strategic partnership with global non-profit organization Orbis International to expand access and improve the quality of eye health services in the Asia-Pacific region. Through this long-term collaboration, AirAsia is committed to providing mobility support for Orbis's medical team to reach regions in need.
In this partnership spanning the next five years, AirAsia will provide flight facility assistance worth US$100,000 per year. This transportation support is allocated to facilitate the travel of medical personnel and expand Orbis's partnership network with local hospitals, ministries of health, and training institutions in several Asia-Pacific countries.
This collaborative step was taken in response to the growing eye health challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Population growth, a high prevalence of chronic diseases causing blindness, and a shortage of expert medical personnel are the main obstacles for people to receive proper care, particularly in AirAsia's operational areas such as Bangladesh, India, China, and Vietnam.
For more than four decades, Orbis has operated the Flying Eye Hospital—a plane converted into an ophthalmic hospital and accredited surgical training center. This new partnership will synergize the strength of AirAsia's aircraft fleet with Orbis's flagship programs, including the digital learning platform Cybersight to train local ophthalmologists online.
Kathleen Sherwin, President & CEO of Orbis International, emphasized the importance of this cross-sector collaboration to build self-sustaining medical care capacity at the local level. Echoing this sentiment, Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Group, affirmed that the airline's role now goes beyond mere transportation business, but also actively contributes to creating a tangible social impact for the well-being of the wider community.
