I recently received an email from Etihad which highlighted to devastating bushfires in Australia and how they were supporting conservation efforts for wildlife. “If you have any spare miles you can donate them to support the Koala bears—every 800 miles feeds and supports a Koala bear for two weeks”.
This is quite close to my heart and an incredibly worthy cause. Airlines around the world are increasingly making efforts to support destinations that are in need of help.
Etihad have been pushing an initiative to donate unused air miles to support Koala bears and other … [+]
Aviation has come under increasing scrutiny from climate change activists in recent years, and some airlines such as Etihad have made significant efforts to reduce e their footprint, in addition to fantastic causes such as supporting Australian wildlife.
Sustainable practice is a critical and continuing challenge for the air transport industry, which is striving to reduce carbon emissions and waste while meeting the soaring demand for air travel.
Etihad has announced the target of Zero Net Carbon Emissions by 2050, and a halving of 2019 emissions by 2035.
Etihad have announced the target of Zero Net Carbon Emissions by 2050, and a halving of 2019 … [+]
A spokesperson for the UAE national airline said that “these are both ambitious targets, but they are necessary to combat emissions growth.
“As a leading airline, Etihad Airways takes seriously its impact on the environment and we are always challenging the industry standards to find lower-impact alternatives.”
Last month Etihad unveiled its new “Greenliner”. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft specially themed in a blue/green livery to highlight the joint commitment with Boeing to help research sustainable air transport.
Last month Etihad unveiled its new “Greenliner”. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft specially themed … [+]
Although the Dreamliner is one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the sky, Etihad also recently flew an “eco-flight” from Abu Dhabi to Brussels which featured a range of initiatives that illustrate the airline’s broad commitment to sustainable practices. One of these included no single-use plastic onboard, which was also previously trialed on a plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane last year.
The airline is also continuing to push a biofuel project and in January 2019, Etihad flew the first commercial flight partially fuelled by locally produced biofuel derived from plants grown in saltwater. The research project was in partnership with Khalifa University, Boeing and ADNOC Refinery.
The KLM airplane which runs on biokerosene is seen at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam, on November … [+]
Other airlines and aircraft manufacturers have commendably recognised the need to work together to drive increased sustainability. Other airlines that have introduced some great initiatives recently include Lufthansa, Finnair and KLM who have all made substantial efforts to reduce their environmental footprint through initiatives focusing around biofuel and increasingly efficient fleets.
In the U.S. United has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts, using biofuel increasingly on more of its 5,000 daily flights.
