Dubai Airshow: Etihad Airways and Boeing announce first-of-its-kind ‘eco partnership’

The ‘Etihad Greenliner’, to be introduced early next year, will be used by both companies to explore and assess environmental sustainability initiatives while the aircraft operates scheduled services across the airline’s network. Other stakeholders, from equipment suppliers to airspace regulators, will be invited to join the companies in advancing and testing efficiency measures on or with the ‘Greenliner’

Etihad also announced that it would operate a Boeing 787 ‘eco flight’ from Abu Dhabi to Brussels during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2020, incorporating a wide range of environment-focused initiatives.

The blended green-blue design for the themed aircraft was unveiled at the 2019 Dubai International Air Show by Tony Douglas, Group chief executive officer of the Etihad Aviation Group, and Stanley Deal, Executive Vice President of The Boeing Company, and President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Douglas said: “The rapid growth of air travel has increased aircraft carbon emissions, and it is the responsibility the aviation industry to reverse this trend. The ‘Etihad Greenliner’ will highlight the shared commitment of Etihad and Boeing to advance sustainable practices in aviation.

“The graduated blue tones of this design represent the importance of water in Arabic life and culture and symbolise the ‘blue sky’ thinking needed to deliver practical, incremental initiatives to progressively lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions.”

Deal said: “The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has revolutionised commercial aviation in many ways. Its breakthrough design and advanced technology have translated into greater fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. We are delighted to partner with Etihad to leverage the Dreamliner platform to identify ways to further improve sustainability in airline operations.”