Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, and World Energy, a carbon-net-zero solutions provider, today announced the signing of a historical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term strategic partnership to decarbonise flights through in-sector emissions reductions. Etihad is the first commercial airline to participate in World Energy’s recently launched service for airline and corporate climate leaders taking real action to achieve net-zero goals.“We are making long-term commitments with leaders to decarbonise transport,” said Gene Gebolys, CEO, World Energy. “Our work with Etihad is strategic and rooted in purpose. It will drive innovation and accountability so we can scale sustainable fuels and make a real and impactful reduction toward effectively decarbonising aviation.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the two companies powering the first net-zero flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) via a Book & Claim system. This is accomplished by displacing approximately 26,000 gallons of petroleum-based jet fuel through the use of net-zero equivalent gallons of World Energy’s SAF at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The result was the elimination of approximately 250 metric tons of carbon related to Etihad’s regular routing flight from Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi during COP27.
Mariam Alqubaisi, Head of Sustainability & Business Excellence, Etihad Airways, said: “Our NetZero flight proved Book & Claim is the only feasible path to net-zero commercial aviation using current technology and is the transition framework required until the supply of sustainable aviation fuel reaches its maturity and availability. Net-zero commercial aviation is possible, but we have to be honest as an industry and say there are significant logistical challenges to using SAF at present.
“We are committed to using actual SAF on our flights from the U.S. and across the world when we can secure a sustainable and efficient supply at the airports we serve.”
The Book & Claim MOU between Etihad and World Energy establishes the pending agreement between the two companies, which is the first of its kind, long-term contract to supply an airline with the environmental attributes associated with SAF produced in Los Angeles, California.
World Energy, working with logistics partners, will deliver the physical SAF to LAX, which will displace conventional fossil fuel required by aircraft flying out of the airport. Etihad will receive the emission reductions in the form of SAF certificates (SAFc) once World Energy blends the SAF and it achieves “drop-in” ASTM certification. Etihad in turn will be able to include their customers on the certificates, which will allow those customers to mitigate the emissions related to business flights. Both the physical SAF delivery and the SAFc ownership transfer will be independently verified by an auditor. 
“We are committed to making good our commitment to sustainable aviation, and our Greenliner and Sustainabile50 partnership programmes continue to test and refine our roadmap to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and halving net emission levels by 2035.”
The Book & Claim system is an efficient method to achieve carbon emission reductions in aviation and make meaningful progress toward achieving climate goals. RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials), the organisation that established this system, is working with Etihad and World Energy to include this flight as part of the RSB Book & Claim Manual[1] testing as an official “pilot.” All actions will comply with the RSB draft guidance, which includes third-party verification. All parties view Book & Claim as a necessary solution to unlock corporate-end-customers who are willing to commit the resources, and grow SAF demand, beyond what airlines alone can support financially. SAF is already recognised by Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) as a valid action to mitigate aviation emissions. RSB’s Book & Claim System will help demonstrate to the voluntary greenhouse gas accounting bodies that the purchase of the SAF via Book & Claim can be done in a robust and credible way that significantly accelerates fossil displacement and sectoral decarbonisation.
The NetZero flight is the latest in a series of “EcoFlight” tests since Etihad launched its Greenliner programme in 2020, each one testing and proving a series of concepts.
I was pleased to read this article and see the partnership between Etihad Airways and World Energy. This is an important step forward in net zero aviation. The article does a good job of describing the process of “book and claim” and how it could work in the future. However, there are a few inaccuracies that I would like to point out. First, the article states that “book and claim” is a process where “an airline buys carbon offsets to cover the emissions from a flight, and then claims the offsets as credits against its emissions.” This is not accurate. “Book and claim” is a process whereby an airline books emissions reductions from a project, and then claims the reductions as credits against its emissions. The airline does not actually purchase the carbon offsets. Second, the article states that the “book and claim” process is “likely to become the norm for airlines.” This is not accurate. “Book and claim” is one of several options for offsetting emissions from aviation, and it is not yet clear which option will become the norm. If you have any questions about the “book and claim” process, or any other questions about offsetting emissions from aviation, please let me know.