Etihad Airways is the second-largest airline in the UAE. The airline operates more than 1,000 flights per week to over 120 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

Last Month, I had the opportunity to attend the WFES, a global industry platform connecting business and innovation in energy, clean technology and efficiency for a sustainable future. One of the highlights was Etihad Airways and Tadweer’s initiative.

Before going to the summit I saw a commercial video on instagram related to the partnership which itself made me more interested in the summit.

On October 2018, Gulf news reported that Etihad airways has signed an MOU with Tadweer, the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center, to develop aviation biofuels from municipal solid waste with the end goal of the airline using the fuel for commercial flights. Under the agreement, the two companies will together develop the feasibility for such an R&D undertaking to determine a pathway for collaboration. Etihad has already funded extensive research by Masdar to develop aviation biofuels from salt-tolerant plants that is now scaling up into demonstration mode.

Last month, Etihad Airways operated the UAE's first commercial flight powered in part by biofuel generated from Abu Dhabi-grown plants nurtured on desert land, saltwater and seafood.  The landmark flight, operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft, flew from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, marking a major milestone in the development of eco-friendly alternative to crude oil to reduce carbon emissions.

Airlines have experimented with biofuels for years with the aim of reducing their carbon emissions and their reliance on fossil fuels, but that journey has seen some turbulence, mainly irregular investments and the temptation of occasionally cheap oil. Airlines account for just two per cent of global carbon emissions but the industry's rapid growth and forecasted expansion have made its environmental impact a major priority for regulators and company executives. IATA has set a target to reduce aviation's carbon emissions by half by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.