Etihad Airways is inviting passengers to book a special ‘sustainable flight’ from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi on October 23.
The flight aims to celebrate the second anniversary of the Etihad Greenliner Programme, which uses Etihad’s Boeing 787 fleet as a test bed for sustainability improvements.
Since 2019, the airline has worked with Boeing on inflight products, airspace management, flight deck tools, sustainable fuel and noise levels.
Mohammad Al Bulooki, chief operating officer at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The Sustainable Flight on October 23 will be a celebration of everything that has been achieved in the past two years and a great flight for Etihad’s guests who will get to see what the future of commercial air travel looks like.
“The fact that sustainability has stayed on the agenda during the pandemic is testament to just how important the topic is to Etihad – the sustainability challenges faced globally will still be around when Covid-19 is no longer an issue.”
Operated with Etihad’s Greenliner aircraft (pictured), the flight is expected to emit 72% less CO2e [carbon dioxide equivalent] in total, and 56% less CO2e per unit of payload than the equivalent flight operated in 2019.
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Before take-off, the route will be planned to minimise contrails that contribute to global warming.
Passengers will receive incentives for flying without check-in bags, or with lightweight luggage, and will be provided with lightweight stainless-steel cutlery and locally-sourced food.
The aircraft will consume a 38% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), ensuring a significant quantity of the fuel consumed is sourced from sustainable sources, reducing overall emissions.
For each passenger on board, Etihad will plant a tree in Abu Dhabi’s mangrove plantations to contribute to offsetting future flying.
Tony Douglas, group chief executive, said: “This will be our most sustainable flight to date, as well as an accurate look at what the future of flying will look like.
“This flight will put into practice all our learnings over the last two years through the Etihad Greenliner programme, which has allowed us to test SAF, eco-friendly products, and a range of operational efficiencies; reduce single-use plastic on board and practice optimised flight route planning and continuous descent.
“We urgently need to see fundamental advances in technology and support from governments and regulators across the world, so we can overcome the current challenges to reaching the industry target of zero emissions by 2050.”
Return fares for the sustainable flight EY20 cost from £752.