- The event was held at Iberia's headquarters and featured the Cruz-Diez Symphony Orchestra accompanied by castanet player Teresa Laiz.
- The Envera, Iberia and Infante de Orleans Foundation Solidarity Calendar, a review of the history of aviation, was also presented.
- Representatives from the public administration as well as from the airline and tourism industry attended
Madrid | December 15
The president of Envera, José Antonio Quintero, has presented Iberia's president, Fernando Candela, with the Dis-Friendly Seal -friends of people with disabilities- "for his excellence in inclusion". Iberia thus becomes the first company to receive this distinction for its efforts to welcome all its customers with open arms.
The Dis-Friendly Seal Award Gala took place at Iberia's world headquarters in Madrid, in an event that also included the presentation of the Envera 2024 the Envera 2024 solidarity calendar was also presented. featuring people with intellectual disabilities together with Iberia and the Infante de Orleans Foundation, which presents in the form of images a journey through the history of old aircraft from the FIO museum to the A350, a model of efficiency and sustainability.
In addition, with Envera's eagerness to always cooperate with other NGOs, the ceremony included the participation of the Cruz-Diez symphony orchestra (25 Venezuelan emigrant musicians united by the love of music) accompanied by the concert castanet player Teresa Laiz, widow of an Iberia flight attendant who was also a musician and who is "pure talent on board and shows the power of music to transform the world and people's lives", as stated by Enrique Grande, Envera's general director.
The Dis-Friendly Seal initiative, which has the institutional support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, is awarded to companies that go beyond compliance with accessibility regulations and strive to adapt to welcome with kindness and empathy their customers with disabilities, the elderly or those with special needs.
This is how the #SelloDisFriendly Award Gala begins to @Iberia "for its excellence in inclusion".
With the @CruzOrquesta and concert castanet player @TeresaLaiz accompanying us today with the energy of music pic.twitter.com/IE2dm3HZLn
- Envera đź’š (@Grupo_Envera_) December 15, 2023
For Quintero, "values such as commitment, equality, respect, reputation, quality and innovation, inclusion, diversity, efficiency, modernity and prosperity" have been valued to award the Dis-Friendly Seal to Iberia, which has received the distinction after "overcoming accessibility audits and having gathered knowledge and experiences of improvement, committing to continuous training to raise awareness and generate empathy, which is today part of the success of companies".
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) points out that "accessibility is a crucial element of any responsible and sustainable tourism policy, a matter of human rights, and also an extraordinary business opportunity". It is in this sense that Envera has decided to create the Dis-Friendly Seal as a differentiating element for companies, since accessible tourism is not only good for people with disabilities or special needs, it is good for everyone.
For his part, Iberia's president highlighted the different initiatives that the company has implemented to improve the experience of people with disabilities throughout the customer journey. "We still have a long way to go, but this indicates that we are on the right track," the airline said.
Besides the presidents of Iberia, Envera and FIO, Carlos Valle, the event was also attended by representatives of the public administration and of the aviation and tourism sectors, such as the president of the Barajas Municipal Council, Juan Peña; the director of Sustainability of ENAIRE, EstĂbaliz Salazar; the director of Sustainability of El Corte InglĂ©s, Bernardo Cruza; as well as heads of companies such as Ineco, Nautalia, Coca-Cola European Partners, ACAVE, CATAI, AVIS, IAG7 and the SEPLA-Ayuda Foundation, among others.
