Etihad Airways to operate a single-use plastic free flight on an ultra-long haul sector

In a bid to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution Etihad Airways is to become the first airline in the Middle East to operate a flight without any single-use plastics on board, when flight EY484 departs Abu Dhabi on 21 April, landing in Brisbane on 22 April – 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.Tony Douglas, Group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “There is a growing concern globally about the overuse of plastics which can take thousands of years to decompose. We discovered we could remove 27 million single-use plastic lids from our inflight service a year and, as a leading airline, it’s our responsibility to act on this, to challenge industry standards and work with suppliers who provide lower impact alternatives.Buzz, Etihad’s current supplier of amenity products, are supporters of the project and have collaborated with the airline to provide sustainable amenity kits, eco-plush toys and award-winning eco-thread blankets. Buzz pioneered and produced the blankets out of recycled plastic bottles.