Etihad Airways is to adopt a mangrove tree on behalf of every passenger who books an economy Space seat as part of a sustainability initiative.
The carrier plans to plant 182,000 mangroves an ‘Etihad Forest’ in Abu Dhabi by the first quarter of 2023, before moving to establish other forests in international destinations.
Each mangrove planted alone will absorb up to 250kg of CO2 in its lifetime – the same amount produced by an eight-hour flight, according to the Gulf airline.
Passengers booking an economy Space seat will receive confirmation of their gifted mangrove in the Etihad Forest within ten days of flying.
They then have the ability to track, virtually visit, see photos and other details of their tree via an email link, confirming the carbon offset for their flight.
Head of sustainability Mariam Al Qubaisi said: “In addition to our own sustainability ambitions, we made a commitment to helping our guests and partners to travel more sustainably and empower them to make conscious choices.
“With the latest evolution of our sustainability programme to plant a mangrove on behalf of every guest who books an economy Space seat, we’re simplifying the process so anyone can travel sustainably.
“The Etihad Mangrove Forest is a key initiative in our sustainability journey to ensure our responsibility to remove carbon from the atmosphere is progressing.
“The intent is to create forests on all continents we fly to, and to provide our guests with an engaging opportunity to take part in the solution.”