Madrid | July 18, 2023
The best gift for the celebration of Envera's 45th birthday was the naming of an A320 Neo aircraft after our organization, one of the latest additions to Iberia's fleet as part of its sustainability strategy, which is committed to improving the efficiency of its aircraft and reducing its carbon footprint. Equipped with Leap-1st CFM engines, it is 50% quieter and more environmentally friendly, emitting 5,000 tons less CO2 per year and 50% less NOx.
This aeronautical baptism "is of great emotion for Envera, a non-profit association that was born from Iberia more than 46 years ago, with the aim of improving the lives of thousands of vulnerable people and their families, betting on social justice and real equal opportunities," explained our president, José Antonio Quintero, founding father and retired Iberia commander.
Millions of passengers travel every day on board every airplane with names and surnames, and many of them are unaware that the aircraft that transport them also have their own. For decades, it has been common to find "christened" airplanes that pay tribute to illustrious people or emblematic places and organizations.
To know the origin of the generalization of this custom, according to the blog of the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC), desdelacabinadevuelo.com, "we must go back to World War II. It was in that period when the Soviets began to call the planes in a coded way to differentiate fighters from commercial airliners. Some of the names used then were Magnet, Flora, Free Hand or Black Jack. Certainly very different names from what airlines use today."
Each airline company -the COPAC reminds us- has different criteria for naming its aircraft, some of them very original. Many of these names are symbolic and aim to recognize the trajectory of personalities in different fields, highlight the beauty of places of interest and even native animals. In other circumstances, commercial or marketing campaigns are carried out to reinforce the link between the company and its passengers.
In the case of Envera, its parent company Iberia, wanted to recognize with this christening more than 45 years of shared effort so that people with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities, may occupy their place in the world with dignity, accompanying and supporting them in the journey of their unique and important lives.
This summer, the Envera aircraft will take to the skies halfway around the world, carrying our name higher and further. Thank you, Iberia.
