Etihad commits to adopt a mangrove tree for every economy space guest

Etihad Airways has committed to adopt a mangrove tree on behalf of every guest who books an Economy Space seat, ensuring every “space” seat sold is eventually carbon neutral.

Etihad commits to adopt a mangrove tree for every economy space guest. Image: Etihad Airways

Launched in February 2022, the Etihad Mangrove Forest is aiming to plant 182,000 mangroves tree in 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, as well as support biodiversity and wildlife as an important 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 own sustainability ambitions, we made a commitment to helping our guests and partners to travel more sustainably and empower them to make conscious choices. With the latest evolution of our sustainability programme to plant a mangrove on behalf of every guest who books an Economy Space seat, we’re simplifying the process so anyone can travel sustainably.”

“The Etihad Mangrove Forest is a key initiative in our sustainability journey to ensure our responsibility to remove carbon from the atmosphere is progressing. The intent is to create forests on all continents we fly to, and to provide our guests with an engaging opportunity to take part in the solution.”