Fuel efficient aircraft and sustainable fuel will be crucial in reducing carbon emissions By Joe Peskett16 January 2020 Etihad's Greenliner Programme is designed to act as a test bed for sustainable products and practises. Etihad Airways plans to be a carbon neutral organization by 2050 and aims to halve its net carbon emission levels by 2035. The airline plans to achieve its zero carbon emissions though a combination of initiatives, collaborations and new programmes designed. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the number of passenger journeys will more than double within 20 years, from 4.5 billion in 2019 to an estimated 9 billion by the late 2030s. Tony Douglas, CEO of Etihad Aviation Group, said that the company will take an “active role in reducing the impact of aviation on the environment” through its various initiatives. Mr Douglas said the entire air transport industry, from airlines and suppliers to airspace providers, was responsible for helping to reduce aviation’s emissions. “Airlines have attracted significant scrutiny in the global discussion of the environment, and our collective challenge as a fast-growing industry is to deliver meaningful initiatives which can quickly help to contain and reduce carbon emissions,” he said. Etihad’s fleet strategy will be important to its sustainability goals and the airline will continue to use Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Airbus A350-1000s, Boeing 777-9s and Airbus A321neos. The next Dreamliner is due to arrive next week. Etihad will also continue to use its Greenliner Programme as a ‘test bed’ for sustainable products and practices. And it will invest in the development of sustainable aviation fuels including biofuel developed and refined in Abu Dhabi from saltwater-tolerant plants.

Aero K (EOK, Cheong Ju) is nearing the delivery of its first aircraft, with A320-200 N631VA (msn 3135) already repainted in the South Korean start-up's livery, according to photos available online.

The aircraft is a 12.7-year-old unit owned by Carlyle Aviation Partners, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. It was previously operated by Alaska Airlines (after the takeover of Virgin America, the earlier operator) and, according to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, was retired from revenue service on October 6, 2019. It was subsequently ferried to Greensboro, then to Victorville in mid-December 2019, and finally back again to Greensboro on January 3 already in Aero K's livery.

Chief Executive Kang Byung-ho said in October 2019 that Aero K planned to take its first A320 in February 2020 and launch operations on the Cheong Ju-Jeju route in March. The LCC expects four A320s for delivery by the end of 2020.
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