Etihad Airways will undertake a special net-zero flight on Sunday as part of the current COP27 environment summit taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
Etihad is teaming up with UK aerospace company SATAVIA to implement a contrail (aeroplane vapor trails caused by exhaust fumes) prevention flight. The flight – using sustainable aviation fuel – will go from Washington Dulles Airport in the US to Abu Dhabi.
The aim is to show the potential of net zero aviation. It follows Etihad operating a similar flight, last year, from London to Abu Dhabi. That flight reduced normal emissions by 72%.
Etihad has a long-standing partnership with SATAVIA focusing on contrail prevention.
Mariam Alqubaisi, Etihad’s head of sustainability and business excellence, said: “The Etihad/SATAVIA collaboration demonstrates the possibility of dramatic sustainability advances in day-to-day commercial operations.
“In 2022 alone, SATAVIA technology has enabled us to eliminate over 6,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent climate impact. We are delighted to extend this partnership on this transatlantic flight during COP27, tackling aviation’s non-CO2 impacts with industry-leading technical innovation.”
SATAVIA chief executive Dr Adam Durant said: “By implementing minimal changes to a small percentage of flights, eco-conscious operators like Etihad can eliminate the majority of their non-CO2 climate footprint with essentially no impact on day-to-day operations and on shorter timescales than other green aviation interventions. For transatlantic operations, up to 80% of contrail climate impact can be avoided by rerouting just over 10% of flights.”
