Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is the first airline in the region to operate a flight without any single-use plastics on board, in a bid to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution. Flight EY484 landed in Brisbane on April 22 – Earth Day.
The milestone flight is part of Etihad’s ongoing commitment to the environment, to go beyond Earth Day celebrations, and pledge to reduce single-use plastic usage by 80% not just in-flight, but across the entire organisation by the end of 2022.
Etihad identified over 95 single-use plastic products used across its aircraft cabins. Once removed from the Earth Day flight, Etihad prevented over 50 kilograms of plastics from being land filled.
Guests on board enjoyed replacement products including sustainable amenity kits, award-winning eco-thread blankets made out of recycled plastic bottles, tablet toothpaste and edible coffee cups while children were treated to eco-plush toys.
As a result of planning the Earth Day flight, Etihad additionally committed to remove up to 20% of the single-use plastic items onboard by June 1, 2019. By the end of this year, Etihad will have removed 100 tonnes of single-use plastics from its in-flight service.