Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong addresses High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations

13/07/2019 07:30

NEW YORK, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong addressed the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at the United Nations today. Chairman Zhao Dong was specifically invited, as the sole Chinese business representative, to share Xiamen Airlines' successes in the critical areas of sustainability and climate action with forum participants and the world. His remarks were highly praised by the attendees. 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.

The World's First Airline Supporting SDGs

In 2017, Xiamen Airlines was the first airline in the world to support the U.N.'s sustainable development goals. At the signing ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Cristina Gallach, highly praised the airline saying, "Xiamen Airlines will play a helpful role in promoting these goals to reach a larger number of people." "In so doing, Xiamen Airlines demonstrated a strong commitment to its 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. Today's address at the HLPF on Sustainable Development by Chairman Zhao Dong is a continuation of Xiamen Airlines' ongoing, strong commitment to sustainability as a good example in climate action.

Xiamen Airlines now has more than 200 airplanes and is operating nearly 400 routes. A dozen intercontinental routes have been launched, covering Asia, 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 true miracle for an aviation industry of China to remain profitable for 32 consecutive years.

"Xiamen Airlines is honored to have been invited to participate in today's discussion of climate action at the United Nations. Xiamen Airlines is a recognized global advocator in putting sustainability into practice and taking proactive, positive steps in the critical area of climate action," Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong said.

Taking Responsibility of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction
"Two years ago, we created the 'Xiamen Airlines Sustainable Development Plan' by launching 12 major projects and 95 specific measures from four aspects: continuous safety, low-carbon operation, green service, and benefits sharing. For example, Xiamen Airlines now uses passenger load factor data to determine orders for beverages and uses dynamic engine cleaning to achieve low-carbon operation. In addition, we are one of the youngest fleets in the world, with an average in-service age of 5.7 years. This is important because younger, more advanced airplanes use higher fuel-efficient engines and create better aerodynamic performance, effectively reducing carbon emissions," Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong stated.

"Recently, we introduced new model airplanes equipped with the world's latest energy-saving engines and preordered 70 newer models with LEAP engines and advanced winglets to be delivered by March 2022, its fuel consumption and carbon emissions are reduced by 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively, compared to retiring models. In the past five years, our fuel consumption per ton-kilometer has decreased by 14.8 percent, this is a particularly significant outcome (IATA data shows that the global average is 2.3 percent per year or about 11.5 percent in five years)," Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong said.

"Xiamen Airlines also has targeted to implement 70 energy conservation and emission reduction projects each year to reduce annual emissions of 300,000 tons, a goal that we have committed to the United Nations," Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong stated. "As a carrier that cares deeply about our planet and our shared future, Xiamen Airlines believes that it is crucial to promote the sustainable development goal 'Climate Action', implement the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)' and follow 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 dialogue. This is in the best interests of the airline sector, the best interests of China, and the best interests of our global community. During his remarks, Mr. Zhao also advocated for wider industry adoption of more efficient and cost-effective clean energy solutions globally to speed up sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Goals Advocator

In addition, Xiamen Airlines is honored to operate the world's only SDG special coating aircraft, 'United Dream.' "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. 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. We launched and continue to host themed activities to promote U.N. sustainable development goals globally. Four events we organized successfully reached 750 million individuals. We successfully reached millions with our initiative, generating greater public awareness that inspired more people to participate in U.N. Sustainable Development Goals," Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao Dong stated. Earlier this year, in recognition of Xiamen Airline's remarkable 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. 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, all of which will further stimulate industry-sustainable development. Xiamen Airlines will also continue to seek more opportunities and platforms to actively promote the Goals globally and encourage more participation in supporting the SDGs for a better world.

Establishment of the HLPF on Sustainable Development was mandated in 2012 by the outcome document of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), "The Future We Want." The Forum meets annually under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council for eight days, including a three-day ministerial segment and every four years at the level of Heads of State and Government under the auspices of the General Assembly for two days. The HLPF is the main U.N. platform on sustainable development and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level, with the Forum adopting intergovernmental negotiated political declarations. The theme of this year's forum is "empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality," with more details on the HLPF at www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf.

Xiamen Airlines: Industry advocator in sustainability and climate action

Established in 1984 and with its headquarters in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian in Southeast China, Xiamen Airlines is China's first airline company operating under the modern enterprise system. Through 34 years of steady development, Xiamen Airlines is "an epitome of China's civil aviation development" as praised by President Xi Jinping, and has become the most distinctive airline company in China's civil aviation industry.

Operating a fleet of 163 aircraft as of early 2018, which is also among the youngest fleets in the world, Xiamen Airline's network of nearly 400 domestic and international routes covers China, Southeast, and Northeast Asia, and reaches Europe, North America, and Oceania. Taking advantage of its SkyTeam membership, it has extended its reach to 1074 destinations in 177 countries.

By achieving profits for 31 years in a row (the only one in China), Xiamen Airlines has achieved profitability for the longest period in China's civil aviation industry. Xiamen Airlines also enjoys the highest international financial rating among the Chinese airlines with total assets of 40 billion yuan (approximately $5,793,826,400 U.S.) and net assets of 16.2 billion yuan, with an asset-liability ratio of 59 percent.

Since 2009, Xiamen Airlines has achieved accumulated revenues of around 120 billion yuan, with profits of 12.7 billion yuan. Among over 240-member airlines of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Xiamen Airlines' total profits ranks among the top 20, with its profit margin even among the top 10.

Over the years, Xiamen Airlines has made unremitting efforts to ensure aviation safety and to improve its service quality. It has now accumulated four million hours of accident-free flight and has been rated as "Airline Offering the Best Services" by Chinese passengers for many consecutive years.

In March 2016, Xiamen Airlines was awarded the "China Quality Award," making it the first award winner in China's service sector and the only airline company that has won the award in China's civil aviation industry.

Read more about Xiamen Airlines and its successes in sustainability and climate action, by visiting https://www.xiamenair.com/en-cn/.

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