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Etihad Airways operates its most sustainable flight ever

On Saturday, October 23, 2021, Etihad Airways operated its most sustainable flight ever, leveraging the learnings and efficiencies developed over the last two years of its comprehensive sustainability program to reduce carbon emissions (CO₂) by 72% in absolute terms compared to the equivalent flight operated in 2019.

The London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight is part of the Etihad Greenliner Program – a two-year partnership between Etihad and Boeing using Etihad’s Boeing 787 fleet as a test bed for sustainability improvements in partnership with organizations across the industry. It required huge collaboration across the aviation ecosystem to deliver a sustainable in-flight product, coordination with airspace management for optimized flight routing, new technology flight deck tools, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), contrail reduction and airport handling processes.

In an industry-first, EY20 was the first commercial flight to explore contrail-avoidance. Working with UK-based SATAVIA, the team identified potential areas of ice super-saturated regions in the atmosphere where harmful contrails are likely to form, and the flight route was adjusted to avoid these areas. Based on the original and adjusted flight plan, the strategy avoided the production of approximately 64 tonnes of CO2e, with a fuel penalty of only 100kg, or 0.48 tons CO2.

The contributions covered three phases, planning, in-flight and post-flight. This included preparing the aircraft, engines and route planning systems to optimize take-off, en-route and landing flight paths and trajectories, minimizing contrail formation, working with our guests to reduce their luggage and rewarding those that travelled light.

Etihad provided catering that was appropriately sourced and served on sustainable crockery and with light-weight cutlery. The crockery itself is part of a circular recycling process where they are returned to the manufacturer at the end of their serviceable life and ground down to its raw material and remade. Guests were also provided with environmentally friendly plant-based water bottles and limited-edition tote bags from upcycled aircraft materials. 80% of all single use plastics were eliminated.

Once the aircraft arrived at Abu Dhabi, it was serviced by Etihad’s new fleet of electric vehicles for ground logistics such as baggage unloading. Where electric vehicles were unable to be used, Etihad purchased bio-diesel to fuel equipment such as the airline’s passenger coach service between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, meaning all passengers, including those transiting to Dubai, were completely carbon neutral for the entirety of their journey.

The data gathered from the aircraft’s sensors was added to Etihad’s growing database on flight performance, and analyzed using tools from Greenliner partner, GE Digital to improve understanding of flight performance and allow quick recognition of unsustainable activities.

Video:

Top Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner A6-BMH (msn 60765) (Greenliner) FRA (Marcelo F. De Biasi). Image: 951389.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Etihad Airways aircraft photo gallery:

Etihad to operate EY20 sustainable flight on October 23

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is inviting travelers to book its EY20 Sustainable Flight departing October 23 from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi, to celebrate the latest anniversary of the Etihad Greenliner Program.

The Etihad Greenliner Program – now two years old following its inception in 2019 – uses Etihad’s Boeing 787 fleet as a test bed for sustainability improvements in partnership with organizations across the aviation industry. Back in October 2019, Etihad and Boeing signed a landmark agreement, pledging to work collaboratively on sustainable aviation solutions in both the R&D domain and regular commercial flights. Since 2019 the two companies have collaborated on areas including inflight product, airspace management, flight deck tools, sustainable fuel, and even brought in expertise from NASA to look at noise levels created by aircraft as part of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program.

With two years of ecoFlights trialling select improvements in sustainability completed as part of the Greenliner Program, Etihad is operating this special celebratory flight to bring together the best of the past two years into a single flight. October’s flight from Heathrow will be operated with Etihad’s signature Greenliner aircraft, with a livery specifically created to recognize the Greenliner Program and its call to action for the aviation industry.

Based on pre-flight estimations the flight will emit 72% less CO2e in total, and 56% less CO2e per unit of payload than the equivalent flight operated in 2019, thanks to a suite of interventions that will be implemented before, during and even after the flight.

Prior to the flight:

The aircraft will be washed to ensure optimal aerodynamics and efficiency, including a dedicated foam washing process for the engines, developed in partnership with General Electric, manufacturer of the 787’s fuel efficient GEnX engines
Cutting edge software in development by partner SATAVIA will model contrail formation for the flight, which will be used to optimize routing. By minimizing contrails, the flight will reduce its indirect impact on the environment through the reduction of contrails that contribute to global warming
Effects from contrails will be considered alongside other factors that directly contribute to fuel burn such as wind speed, temperature, air pressure and cloud cover
Collectively, the pre-flight planning will ensure the most efficient route possible for the conditions present on the day is loaded into the flight computer – all before the aircraft leaves the ground
Guests checking in at the airport will receive incentives for flying without check-in bags, or with lightweight luggage – encouraging Guests to consider the environment when deciding what to take on their journey and rewarding those who chose to travel light.

Once in flight:

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
Inflight tools such as Boeing’s FlightDeck Advisor and engagement with ANSPs will aid the pilots in achieving the most efficient climb profile out of Heathrow, course while enroute, and descent profile into Abu Dhabi
Consumables, such as potable water, will be loaded based on expected consumption to reduce the total weight of the aircraft and save fuel
When landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport the aircraft will taxi to the stand using only a single engine, again reducing fuel burn
Once at the gate, the aircraft will be serviced by Etihad’s new fleet of electric vehicles for ground logistics such as baggage unloading

On board:

Guests will select locally-sourced dining options and be provided with lightweight stainless-steel cutlery from Sola Cutlery, along with a range of carefully selected products from crockery to inflight meal trays to dental kits – all specially sourced for the flight
All products onboard have been selected to ensure the highest standards of sustainability using perspectives on sourcing, weight, and a key focus on the full product lifecycle (including end-of-life recycling) through a partnership with service ware design company, deSter.
The food served onboard will include vegan options and not use unsustainable products such as beef and palm oil, giving guests the opportunity to eat sustainably
Guests will receive personal water bottles, minimizing single-use paper cups and waste during the flight
All waste will be segregated to ensure the highest possible levels of recycling in Abu Dhabi
The flight will be crewed by a dedicated group of Etihad Green Ambassadors who will offer feedback to the Etihad service delivery teams to continue the evolution of Etihad’s product. While on board, they will be available to Guests who wish to know more about the EY20 Sustainable Flight and the airline’s sustainability initiatives.

Post flight:

The data gathered from the aircraft’s sensors will be added to Etihad’s growing database on flight performance, analyzed using tools from Greenliner partner, GE Digital.
This analysis monitors flight performance and allows engineers and pilots to quickly recognize patterns of unsustainable activities, and to take remedial actions as needed.

On top of the improvements pre-, during and post-flight, for each guest on board Etihad will plant a tree in Abu Dhabi’s mangrove plantations to contribute to offsetting future flying. The Etihad Mangrove initiative follows the introduction of offsets purchasable by Guests through CarbonClick and the complete offset of the signature Greenliner aircraft’s operations for the entirety of 2021. These offsets have been sourced from the Makame Savannah REDD Project – developed by Carbon Tanzania and include c.80,000 tCO2e offsets, equivalent to the CO2 consumed by 100,000 trees in a year.

Top Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner A6-BMH (msn 60765) (Greenliner) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 952960.

Etihad aircraft slide show:

Etihad Airways welcomes vaccinated American travelers to Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, celebrates Abu Dhabi’s reopening to fully vaccinated travelers with the launch of the Abu Dhabi Time is Now campaign, featuring special fares for American travelers who book now until September 30 for travel up to June 30, 2022.

Those traveling from Etihad’s US gateways – New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago – to the Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) can enjoy Economy Class rates starting at $816 USD and Business Class rates starting at $4,054 USD.

Earlier this month, the government of Abu Dhabi announced that fully vaccinated travelers with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization can arrive from all international destinations without the need to quarantine. All travelers will require a PCR test within 48 hours of departure, a test on arrival and retesting on select days depending on the country of origin.

Top Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner A6-BMH (msn 60765) (Greenliner) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 952960.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Etihad Airways accelerates transformation plan to mitigate impact of pandemic

Etihad Airways issued this statement:

4.2 million passengers carried in 2020 with seat load factor of 52.9%
Network capacity reduced by 64% to 37.5 billion ASKs in wake of pandemic
Industry-leading Etihad Wellness program developed to safeguard travelers
First airline in the world with 100% of operating flight crew vaccinated

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways has announced its financial and operating results for 2020, recording a 76% fall in passengers carried throughout the year (4.2 million, compared to 17.5 million in 2019) as a result of lower demand and reduced flight capacity caused by the unparalleled global downturn in commercial aviation.

As a consequence of the COVID pandemic and ensuing flight and travel restrictions, total passenger capacity was reduced by 64% in 2020 to 37.5 billion Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs), down from 104 billion in 2019, with the seat load factor declining to 52.9%, 25.8 percentage points lower compared to 2019 (2019: 78.7%).

The airline recorded US $1.2 billion passenger revenues in 2020, down by 74% from US $4.8 billion in 2019, due to fewer scheduled services and drastically fewer people traveling. A contributing factor to this was the total suspension of passenger services into and out of the UAE from end of March until early June 2020 to limit the spread of COVID, in line with a UAE government mandate. More than 80% of total passengers carried in 2020 were flown during the first three months of the year, demonstrating the precipitous drop in demand as the global crisis deepened over the course of the year.

The airline’s cargo operation, on the contrary, recorded an extremely strong performance, with a 66% increase in revenue from US $0.7 billion in 2019 to US $1.2 billion in 2020, driven by huge demand for medical supplies such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and pharmaceuticals, paired with limited global airfreight capacity. Cargo yield saw an improvement of 77%.

Operating costs meanwhile decreased by 39% year-on-year, from US $5.4 billion in 2019 to US $3.3 billion in 2020, due to a combination of reduced capacity and volume-related expenses, as well as a focus on cost containment initiatives. Overheads reduced by 25% to US $0.8 billion (2019: US $1.0 billion) in this timeframe, despite their fixed nature, owing to cash and liquidity management initiatives during the crisis, while the finance cost reduced by 23% through an ongoing focus on balance sheet restructuring.

Overall, this resulted in a core operating loss of US $1.70 billion (2019: US $0.80 billion) in 2020, with the EBITDA turning to negative US $0.65 billion (2019: positive US $0.45 billion).

Prior to the pandemic, Etihad was ahead of transformation targets set in 2017, having registered a 55% cumulative improvement in core results by end-of-year 2019. This momentum continued into the start of 2020, with a record first quarter (Q1) that showed year-on-year improvement of 34%. The airline is continuing to target a complete turnaround by 2023, having accelerated its transformation plans and restructured the organization during the pandemic into a leaner and more agile business.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “COVID shook the very foundation of the aviation industry, but thanks to our dedicated people and the support of our shareholder, Etihad stood firm and is ready to play a key role as the world returns to flying. While nobody could have predicted how 2020 would unfold, our focus on optimizing core business fundamentals over the past three years put Etihad in good stead to respond decisively to the global crisis. We have taken bold action to protect our people and our guests, develop an industry-leading health and hygiene program, and restructure our business to better position us for recovery. As the world’s first airline to vaccinate all our operating pilots and cabin crew against COVID, we are ready to welcome back travelers to experience best-in-class travel with Etihad Airways.”

Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer, said: “We started the year on a firm footing by surpassing our transformation targets for Q1 and were looking forward to a strong performance for the year ahead – and then the pandemic took hold. As passenger revenues nosedived, we took immediate action to secure Etihad’s long-term financial health, with a wide range of measures to mitigate the impact of Covid on our business. Despite significant pressures on our cashflow, we maintained liquidity by focusing on cost control, maximising cargo revenue, enhancing our charter capabilities and raising innovative credit facilities such as the world’s-first sustainability-linked transition sukuk. This was supported by Etihad retaining an A with a ‘stable outlook’ credit rating by Fitch, making it one of a handful of airlines to maintain a pre-Covid rating.”

Summary of 2020 results:

	2020	2019
Passenger revenue (US$ billion)	1.2	4.8
Cargo revenue (US$ billion)	1.2	0.70
Operating revenue (US$ billion)	2.7	5.6
EBITDA (US$ billion)	(0.65)	0.45
Core operating result (US$ billion)	(1.7)	(0.8)
Total passengers (million)	4.2	17.5
Available seat kilometres (billion)	37.5	104.0
Seat load factor (%)	52.9	78.7
Number of aircraft	103	101
Cargo tonnage (leg tonnes ‘000)	575.7	635.0

Highlights of 2020

Putting health and wellbeing first

In 2020, Etihad established Etihad Wellness, an industry-leading program to ensure wellbeing at every stage of the customer journey and provide greater peace of mind when traveling.

A key service differentiator for the airline, Etihad Wellness is championed by specially-trained Wellness Ambassadors who are available 24/7 to provide essential travel health information and care pre-flight through a webchat on etihad.com, at the airport, and on board.
Etihad Wellness maintains the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene at every customer touchpoint, with aircraft deep cleaning and sanitization after every flight and complimentary wellness kits for every guest, among many other measures.
To reinforce the effectiveness of Etihad Wellness, the airline is providing global COVID insurance with every ticket, so passengers are covered when they are away from home.
As a further commitment to safety, Etihad is the only airline in the world to require 100% of passengers to show a negative PCR test result before departure and on arrival in Abu Dhabi. This safety measure was introduced in August 2020.

Above Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner A6-BMH (msn 60765) (Greenliner) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 952960.

Leading the way for sustainability

In 2020, despite the challenges of COVID, Etihad continued to pave the way for more environmentally friendly travel by implementing key sustainability initiatives.

In January 2020, the airline welcomed a unique, green-themed Boeing 787 into the fleet as the flagship aircraft of its Greenliner program. As part of a partnership with Boeing, the aircraft serves as a flying testbed for sustainable practices such as highly optimized route profiles to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Under the Greenliner program, Etihad partnered with industry leaders Boeing, NASA and Safran on the 2020 ecoDemonstrator program. This saw an Etihad Boeing 787 aircraft test initiatives to enhance safety and reduce CO2 emissions and noise, including two innovative wellness technologies to combat COVID – a handheld ultraviolet light disinfecting system and an antimicrobial coating to prevent growth of bacteria on tray tables, armrests and other surfaces.
In January 2020, Etihad announced an ambitious target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050, with an additional goal of halving 2019 net emission levels by 2035. The company’s environmental targets will be achieved through a combination of internal initiatives and collaboration with industry partners to harness technology and innovation for operational efficiencies and the development of sustainable aviation fuels, supported by carbon offsetting.
In a global first for sustainable financing, Etihad became the first airline in the world to issue a sustainability-linked transition sukuk in October 2020, raising US$ 600 million. The deal is linked to Etihad’s carbon reduction targets, with the funds going towards investments in more energy-efficient aircraft and research and development into sustainable aviation fuel.
In another first, Etihad announced the launch of the Middle East’s first aircraft carbon offset program in December 2020 by committing to purchase carbon offsets to completely neutralize CO2 emissions of its flagship Greenliner aircraft for a full year of operations in 2021. The carbon credits are linked to Tanzanian forestry project Makame Savannah.

Mr Douglas added: “While dealing with the reality of the pandemic, Etihad has continued to lead the field in the development of more sustainable flying. Despite the present challenges, we cannot ignore the elephant in the room. The future of flying has to be sustainable for our planet and we need to take responsible climate action today to meet our obligations for the future.”

Taking care of the Etihad family

The airline continued to do everything possible to support employees while having to restructure its business to cope with the pandemic.

In September 2020, Etihad was able to offer early enrollment to frontline staff, including pilots and cabin crew, into the UAE’s national vaccination program. Etihad’s percentage of vaccinated staff has continued to grow through an internal drive to increase awareness and understanding of the vaccine.
The airline was one of the first companies in the UAE to offer staff the option of receiving the vaccination in the workplace after its aeromedical centre became an approved vaccination clinic.
More than 75% of the airline’s total UAE-based workforce has now received the vaccine, with Etihad becoming the first airline in the world to have 100% of its operating flight crew vaccinated. This milestone was reached in February 2021.
Due to the prolonged nature of the pandemic and curtailed capacity, the airline was forced to rationalize its manpower and make redundancies across several areas of the business.
The airline’s total workforce stood at 13,587 employees by the end of 2020, down by 33% from 20,369 the year before. In order to minimize job losses as much as possible, the airline introduced temporary company-wide salary reductions ranging from 25% for non-managerial roles to 50% for management and executives.

A modern fleet built around the Dreamliner

Etihad took delivery of two new Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2020, bringing the total fleet count to 103 aircraft, with an average age of only 6.2 years. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner continues to be the backbone of the Etihad global fleet – one of the youngest and most efficient in the world.

With 39 Dreamliners in total, Etihad is one of the world’s largest operators of this highly efficient aircraft type.
The airline’s operations in 2020 have focused on B787-9 and B787-10 flying due to the aircraft’s range, efficiency and belly-hold cargo payload capability, while part of the remaining fleet has been parked due to reduced passenger operations.

Connecting travelers through Abu Dhabi

Etihad is continuing to gradually resume services and grow its global network as international borders reopen, in line with entry and health regulations set by UAE authorities and those at the end destination.

For the majority of 2020, point-to-point travel to and from Abu Dhabi was restricted to citizens and residents, but as a result of the UAE’s rigorous testing and safety precautions, Abu Dhabi reopened to tourists from a permitted ‘green list’ of countries on 24 December 2020.
At the end of 2020, the airline operated to 50 passenger and seven cargo destinations from Abu Dhabi, representing approximately 35% of its pre-COVID capacity.
June 2020 saw Air Arabia Abu Dhabi start operations as the first low cost carrier (LCC) based out of Abu Dhabi. A joint venture between Etihad and Air Arabia, the carrier closed the year serving eight markets, increasing Abu Dhabi’s air connectivity, diversifying the travel offering to and from the UAE capital, and complementing the Etihad passenger network.
Following the historic normalization of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel in 2020, Etihad announced daily year-round scheduled services set to commence between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi in March 2021.

Supporting the world through COVID-19

At the onset of the pandemic, Etihad began operating special humanitarian charters to bring much-needed medical supplies and equipment including respirators, PPE, and more recently vaccines to impacted countries.

The airline operated 183 such charters, ferrying more than 2,500 tonnes of essential cargo to 129 countries, with destinations including Asunción (Paraguay), Havana (Cuba), St. Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean Islands) and Lima (Peru) to name just a few.
In November 2020, Etihad joined the Hope Consortium, an Abu Dhabi-led coalition formed to facilitate the distribution of COVID vaccines across the world, with a complete end-to-end supply chain solution covering demand planning, sourcing and world-class facilities for transporting temperature sensitive cargo at ultra-cold conditions up to -80⁰.
The vaccines are being distributed by Etihad, the first carrier in the Middle East to receive IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certification for pharmaceutical logistics. By year-end 2020, Etihad had transported more than five million vaccine doses as part of the consortium.

Picking up industry awards:

Etihad continued to gain recognition for its leading product and service proposition throughout the year.

In recognition of the airline’s focus on customer wellbeing, Etihad was officially rated a Five-Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) in December 2020 and awarded the Diamond status by APEX for Health Safety in January 2021.
Etihad received two accolades at Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2020, including ‘Best Economy Class’ for enhancing its Economy travel experience to provide greater control, choice and personalization, and ‘Best Frequent Flyer Program’ for its Etihad Guest loyalty program, which was transformed to provide greater member benefits.
Etihad was presented with three awards at Aviation Business Awards 2020; ‘Environmental Initiative of the Year’, for Etihad’s industry-leading commitment to driving the sustainability agenda, ‘Training Provider of the Year’ for Etihad Aviation Training and Pride of Aviation’ for demonstrating outstanding steadfastness in the face of an unprecedented industry crisis.
Etihad Cargo was named Best Cargo Airline – Middle East by leading airfreight industry magazine, Air Cargo Week, for the major role it played in keeping key trade lanes connected and delivering aid around the world in 2020.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show: