Greenliner is to be 20% more fuel efficient than
other aircraft in Etihad’s fleet.
“This is not just a box-ticking exercise,” he told
reporters at the unveiling of the initiative at the
Dubai Airshow alongside executives from Boeing.
The companies did not detail the technologies
that would reduce fuel consumption, but in
the past such efforts have focused on using
new types of fuel, such as biofuel, or testing
lighter materials.
This year, Etihad flew the world’s first passenger
flight using sustainable biofuel made from a
plant that grows in saltwater. It also became
the first in the Middle East to operate a flight
without any single-use plastics on board to raise
awareness of the effects of plastic pollution.
Douglas said the aircraft “not only makes sense
economically from a profit and loss account
point of view, but because it also directly
impacts the CO2 because of the fuel burn.”
Etihad has reported losses of $4.75 billion since
2016 as its strategy of aggressively buying stakes
in airlines from Europe to Australia exposed the
company to major risks.
Boeing rival Airbus said it will start tests to
see how two jets could fly together, one after
the other, to reduce the amount of air drag.
It estimates it could reduce 5-10% of fuel
consumption per trip for the plane flying in its
partner’s wake.
Aviation accounts for a small share of
greenhouse gas emissions like CO2 - about 2.5%
worldwide - but forecasters expect air travel to
increase rapidly in coming years. And while the
auto industry is turning to batteries to reduce