South African regional and domestic airline Airlink has been awarded International Air Transport Association (IATA) Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) certification, the carrier announced on Thursday. (IATA is the global representative body for the airline industry.) This recognises Airlink’s commitment to world-class and global standards for environmental and sustainability practices, and its compliance with the Buckingham Palace Declaration (to counter the illegal trade in wildlife).

“Airlink’s business and leisure customers are increasingly focused on limiting their environmental impact,” highlighted Airlink CEO De Villiers Engelbrecht. “Similarly, environmental preservation and wildlife are core to the livelihoods, enterprises and economies of many of the destinations we serve. As a vital link in that chain, Airlink has a duty to make a positive environmental impact. IATA’s endorsement and international certification will help Airlink strengthen trust with its customers, industry partners, regulators and other key players.”

The IEnvA certification was by the IEnvA Organisation. This certification programme is voluntary, and based on globally-accepted standards and industry best practices, which include the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems and the IATA Operational Safety Audit. The IEnvA certitication process independently assessed the commitment of aviation role-players, including airlines, airports, air cargo handing facilities, and freight forwarders, to continually improve their environmental and sustainability performance.

The Buckingham Palace Declaration was agreed and released in 2016. It was an initiative of the United for Wildlife organisation, founded by Prince William, the Prince of Wales (heir apparent to the British throne) and the Royal Foundation. Aimed specifically at the illegal trade in wildlife, it sought to close down the transport routes used in the illegal traffic of wildlife and wildlife products. It did so by seeking to eliminate vulnerabilities in the customs and transport sectors.

“Playing our part in the global fight against [the] illegal wildlife trade underpins the values of our airline,” affirmed Airlink executive manager cargo (responsible for environmental affairs) Hardus Kuschke. “This was evidenced in our recent collaboration between Airlink Cargo and the Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife’s Transport Taskforce in the repatriation of some of the world’s most vulnerable and endangered animals back to their natural habitats in Madagascar.”