Etihad Airways takes a step closer towards its commitment of zero carbon emissions by 2050, with its ‘Greenliner’ taking flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin.

Greenliner

The ’Greenliner’ dubbed the ‘flying laboratory’, is a Boeing Dreamliner 787 and one of the most fuel efficient aircraft currently available. Etihad plan to use the ‘Greenliner’ to fly, test and implement new technologies and flying methods to reduce fuel use and carbon emissions and make flying more environmentally friendly.

Welcome news

This should be welcome news for environmentalists and campaigners behind ‘flygskam’ or ‘flight shame’ that have called on people to stop flying because of the heavy carbon footprint.

The ’eco partnership’ of Boeing, Etihad and other stakeholders is also a strong display of commitment that aviation companies are acting on their responsibility to implement ‘advance sustainable practices in aviation’.

Dreamliner

Some of the new technologies being tested are 30% sustainable aviation fuel sourced from agricultural waste and plants, no single-use plastic onboard, continuous descent to reduce fuel burn, Boeing’s ‘FliteDeck Advisor’ for real-time insights and ‘nautical air mileage evaluation’ to assess biofuel flow (read more)

Etihad have a strong partnership with Boeing and one of the largest fleet of Dreamliners, an aircraft that is already designed to significantly reduce fuel usage.

Combined with other eco-initiatives, Etihad is set to lead the way in making aviation sustainable.

Cover image by Agnieszka Boeske on Unsplash

Agnieszka Boeske