In the annual Airline Rating awards, Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, was voted ‘Environmental Airline of the Year 2022.’ The ranking acknowledges Etihad’s industry-leading strategy to increase aviation sustainability for the airline and the industry.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change chose the UAE to host COP 28 in 2023. Etihad’s success is entirely consistent with Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s commitment to collaborate with the international community to accelerate global efforts to address climate change and environmental protection and create a more sustainable economic future.
The airline recently published the Etihad Airways Sustainability Report, which Airline Ratings called a benchmark for the industry, showcasing the potential gains in sustainable aviation that can be accomplished through various activities.
“Our ambition to become a leader in aviation sustainability has put us on a path to decrease the impact of aviation on the environment, not just for Etihad, but for the entire industry,” said Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer Etihad Aviation Group.
We continue to investigate and test all potential decarbonisation strategies, ranging from research into sustainable aviation fuels and contrail avoidance to offsets and replanting through the Etihad Mangroves. The Sustainability Report, which we released earlier this year, is a culmination of our efforts, illustrating our work and what we’ve learned thus far. I would encourage everyone to read it.”
Etihad’s environmental initiatives began with an emphasis on operational efficiencies, and the airline swiftly gathered industry executives to form the most comprehensive, cross-organisational aviation sustainability project ever attempted. This umbrella programme, now in its third year, includes collaborations with Boeing, GE, Airbus, and Rolls Royce, as well as a diverse spectrum of relationships with forward-thinking new-technology organisations, academic researchers, smaller enterprises, and start-ups.
The Greenliner programme, which uses the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners as flying test beds, is one of Etihad’s hallmark sustainability initiatives, as is the Sustainable50 A350-1000, which debuted earlier this year.
“We are grateful to our partners, from major manufacturers to academics and small start-ups, who have partnered with us on this mission, particularly through the Greenliner and Sustainable50 programmes,” Mr Douglas concludes. And we appreciate our visitors and business clients who have joined our green loyalty programme Conscious Choices or contributed by bringing less luggage or choosing to offset their travels.” This award recognises our efforts over the last few years to be the cleanest airline in the sky, and we are honoured to be named Environmental Airline of the Year 2022. We are delighted by this accomplishment but will not rest on our laurels since we have ambitious, industry-changing, and climate-critical actions to build on.”
“Etihad Airways has demonstrated strong leadership in the quest for sustainable aviation with its Greenliner Boeing 787 programme and this year with its Sustainability50, A350 aircraft,” said Airlineratings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas. Etihad Airways employees and management are devoted to minimising the airline’s CO2 footprint at every touchpoint, which shows. “A million factors count in decreasing emissions,” says Etihad Airways, “therefore the focus is all-consuming.”
Mr Thomas went on to say that “the airline’s Sustainability Report 2020-2021 demonstrates the potential advancements in sustainable aviation that a wide range can make of initiatives, coordinated to achieve a 20% reduction in emissions intensity in its passenger fleet by 2025, a 50% reduction in 2019 nett emissions by 2035, and net-zero emissions by 2050.”
The airline has completed many studies on eco-flights over the last three years, revealing potential carbon emission savings of up to 72 percent on a single flight. Etihad has also tested and implemented ground-breaking operational efficiencies and technological solutions such as the Jeppesen Flite Deck Advisor, SATAVIA contrail avoidance, GE Engine Foam Wash, eTech logs, and lightweight Unit Load Devices.
In addition to the airline’s extensive testing and innovation programme, Etihad became the first to acquire commercial credit based on verified conformity with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
The Etihad Mangroves Forest initiative was created to plant carbon-absorbing trees in countries where the airline operates.
Etihad offers the Conscious Choices programme, which pays consumers who perform environmentally friendly actions such as offsetting their flights to engage its guests and corporate clients. Accredited solutions can help corporate clients cut Scope 3 emissions.
Source: AirlinesRating