Etihad Airways has committed to adopting a mangrove tree on behalf of every guest who books an Economy Space seat, ensuring every “space” seat sold is eventually carbon neutral.
The announcement follows the launch of the Etihad Forest, Etihad’s initiative for biodiversity, wildlife and environmental protection through a network of mangrove and other forests being established in Abu Dhabi and worldwide, Launched in February 2022, the Etihad Mangrove Forest aims to plant 182,000 mangroves by the first quarter of 2023 in Abu Dhabi, before the next phase of the programme to plant new forests in international destinations. Mangroves remove up to four times more carbon dioxide from the air than other tropical forests, helping to fight the effects of climate change such as coral bleaching and coastline degradation, and supporting biodiversity and wildlife as an essential habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.
Through the initiative, Etihad will plant one mangrove tree in locations in Abu Dhabi for each economy space seat purchased on any Etihad Airways flight. Each mangrove planted alone will absorb up to 250kg of CO2 in its lifetime – the same amount produced by an eight-hour flight.
Mariam Al Qubaisi, Head of Sustainability, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “In addition to our sustainability ambitions, we made a commitment to helping our guests and partners travel more sustainably and empower them to make conscious choices. With the latest evolution of our sustainability programme, we’re simplifying the process, so anyone can travel sustainably.”
Every guest who books an Economy Space Seat will receive confirmation of their gifted mangrove in the Etihad Forest within ten days of flying. From the email link, guests can track, virtually visit, and see photos and other details of their tree, confirming the carbon offset for their recent travel.
Guests have the option to register their claimed tree so they can easily revisit their tree at a later day. Through the platform’s app, Etihad guests can “chat” with their chatbot-enabled tree, while also being able to track every tree with satellite maps and access data, including CO2 consumption metrics, which can be tracked.
Economy Space offers generous legroom and more space to relax. It is available only on Etihad-operated flights, and guests can reserve a seat in Economy Space while booking their ticket or at any time until check in.
Economy Space can be booked at etihad.com under “Manage my booking” when checking in online or at the airport. Etihad Guest Platinum members can reserve a seat in Economy Space for free or save 50% as an Etihad Guest Gold member.
Guests in other cabins can also take part in the Etihad Forest initiative using Etihad Guest Miles in the Reward Shop, while a range of additional options are offered to meet corporate partner requirements and provide bundled-offset options through the Corporate Conscious Choices programme.
In line with the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Programme by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the Etihad Mangrove Forest is the culmination of multiple joint programmes between Etihad, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, Jubail Island, The Storey Group and other partners to support mangrove conservation projects in the nation and develop new carbon sinks and natural resources to remove carbon from the atmosphere following our principle “Abu Dhabi for the World.”
Source: Emirates News Agency