How Etihad achieved 72% emissions reductions from their sustainable test flight

When ‘SimpliFlying’ launched the Sustainability in the Air podcast on Earth Day 2022, the world’s first podcast to explore the challenges that sustainable aviation faced -particularly after the adoption of the 2050-net zero resolution by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to align the global air transport industry’s goals towards collectively, reducing carbon emissions to a net-zero future, it had nine airline and tech CEOs and research-based environmentalists sharing their thoughts – aimed at providing a clear roadmap ahead.

Kicking off the inaugural session, Tony Douglas, CEO of Etihad Airways, disclosed a number of issues when he spoke of the flight of EY20 – one that took two years in the planning and eventual rollout of the test run in October 2021. Etihad’s test flight (EY20) flew from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi, where it reduced carbon emissions when compared to a similar flight done in 2019 by 72%.

In his discourse Douglas highlighted 4 factors that helped the sizeable emission reduction:

1. Better aircraft:the equivalent 2019 flight employed an A380 – a much heavier, less efficient aircraft with older generation avionics.
2. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF):The test flight operated with 38% SAF which Douglas states was one the biggest contributors to the 72% reduction. (It’s worth noting, however, that although it is widely touted as a game-changer for aviation, SAF isn’t a currently viable option for airlines.)
3. Flight plans:Etihad worked closely with Eurocontrol and UAE’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) to map out a direct route plan with continuous descent. This cut down the flight time by 40 minutes, reducing CO2 emissions by 6 tonnes.
4. Condensation trails:Etihad collaborated with SATAVIA to reduce the picturesque but carbon-laden condensation trails. They used barometric pressure, air temperature and weather patterns to make subtle tweaks to the flight plans to minimise condensation trails.

However, Douglas explains that of these 4 factors, 2 are not practically applicable anytime soon: SAF and direct route mapping. SAF is currently 3-5 times more expensive than jet fuel and current airport infrastructure doesn’t support direct deployment to aircraft. To make it viable, demand would have to significantly increase in order to bring down prices. He  also explains that the current flight routes are outdated “Roman roads in the sky” that are no longer efficient and need to be redesigned to keep up with the times.

Source: SimpliFlying

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