This article was authored by Graham Perkins, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, Atlas Air Worldwide
While Atlas is most commonly found soaring high above the ocean’s surface, delivering to destinations across the globe, we also care deeply about what lies beneath those waters.
In 2024, we established our commitment to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our partnership with Qantas Freight. Through our corporate donation we honored our nearly 5,000 employees and reflected the shared values that connect us with our customers.
This year, as we mark our 21st year working with Qantas Freight, we’re proud to renew that commitment, once again supporting efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef, one of our planet’s most vital and fragile ecosystems.
Our funding supports the growing and planting of hundreds of baby coral for each Atlas team member. What began as a symbolic gesture has grown into something extraordinary.
The Multiplication of our Donation
Our original donation to help deliver baby coral to the Reef is part of a world-leading environmental restoration effort. During the November 2024 spawning season, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation deployed more than 110 million baby corals. It is a proud moment to celebrate Atlas’ corporate contribution as part of this effort and a significant milestone in coral restoration science.
Using the innovative Coral IVF technique, marine scientists partnered with tourism operators and local marine industries to gather and nurture coral spawn in specially designed floating larval pools. After developing into coral babies, these tiny coral recruits were carefully released in coral cradles—protective devices that safely house newly planted corals on the Reef.
This advanced technique dramatically increases survival odds for young corals from 1 in a million in the wild to 1 in 10,000 in restoration programs. And for the first time ever, baby corals grown from cryogenically frozen cells were successfully settled onto the Reef, opening the door for scalable restoration even in areas affected by warming oceans. Atlas is proud to be part of the incredible global community helping to protect the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef.
Strategic Restoration Sites
Atlas’ donation helped some of the reef’s most critical recovery sites, including:
These locations were chosen for their importance to reef biodiversity and their potential for long-term regeneration.
A Connection Between Sky and Sea
Just as aviation connects communities across vast distances, healthy coral reefs connect ocean ecosystems and support life both above and below the surface. This project isn’t just about marine conservation, it’s about people.
Globally, more than a billion people rely on coral reefs for food, jobs, and cultural identity. The Great Barrier Reef alone supports over 77,000 Australian jobs and its total economic, social and culture value is $95 billion. By helping restore coral ecosystems, we are also helping to protect communities and livelihoods connected to the ocean.
This effort reflects Atlas’ broader commitment to care for the world we carry and supporting the communities and customers we serve, which in this case is the home of Qantas Freight. We are taking real, measurable action to support a healthier planet for future generations.
