Fly & Save: AirAsia Philippines takes flight to save lives, hosts bloodletting drive

Manila, 13 June 2024 – AirAsia Philippines is not only revolutionizing air travel but also touching the lives of many Filipinos as they hosted a bloodletting drive at the airline's RedPoint headquarters in Pasay City.

In partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF), over 200 Allstars and PAF personnel participated in a bloodletting activity, responding to the urgent call for blood reserves by the Department of Health (DOH) and PRC.

“Our core value of making a difference goes beyond the skies. We're not just transporting passengers, we're transporting hope. For the first time, AirAsia came together as one with the Philippine Red Cross and Philippine Air Force to boost efforts to meet the rising demand for national blood reserves. The blood units collected will surely help our kababayans in need,” AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla stated.

Throughout the years, the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline has forged strong partnerships under its AlwaysReady: Anytime, Anywhere CSR program with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF), showcasing their commitment to community service and the love for the country.

Since 2015, AirAsia has conducted more than 10 blood donation drives in collaboration with the PRC. AirAsia’s partnership with the PAF, established in 2019 as a 1st Airlift Wing Reserve unit, has been marked by significant milestones including being recognized as the Best Reserve Unit nationwide. 

“We thank AirAsia and the Philippine Air Force for their commitment to support our mission of saving lives. Through your annual blood donation drives, you have once again proved that AirAsia does more than just bring Filipino families together across distances. We commend your commitment to help many Filipinos in urgent need of blood, including children, cancer patients, mothers giving birth, and accident victims, reunite with their loved ones once again,” said Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Dr Gwen Pang.

AirAsia, PAF, and PRC’s “Donate Blood, Save Lives” activity aims to help increase the Red Cross’ blood bank reserves, in support of the agency’s target of covering 70% of the country’s blood demand this year. The activity also aims to entice more people to donate blood, especially that blood donations saw a decline since 2020.

Apart from saving the lives of the beneficiaries, donating blood also provides health benefits to individuals as it lessens the risk of heart and liver diseases, help lower cholesterol level, and produce new blood cells.