All Hi Fly Flights Now Single-Use Plastic Free

Hi Fly, a leading wet-lease carrier, has worked hard to replace any single-use plastic items on board with more environmentally friendly options.

This includes bamboo cutlery, cups, spoons, and salt and pepper shakers, while packaging for bedding, dishes, individual butter pots, soft drink bottles and toothbrushes have been replaced with compostable alternatives crafted from recycled material.

The company operated its first ever 'plastic-free' trial flight when it took passengers on a Boxing Day trip from the carrier's base in Lisbon to Natal, Brazil, on an Airbus A340 in December 2018. This was quickly followed with three further 'plastic-free' test flights in addition to a series of 12 reduced plastic journeys.

These flight tests determined that every commercial passenger long haul flight that takes to the air with no single-use plastic items on board prevents around 350 kg of single-use, virtually indestructible plastic from poisoning our environment. When scaling this up to take account of Hi Fly’s global operations, then the difference becomes significant.

Hi Fly President, Paulo Mirpuri, said, “We pledged at the time of our historic Hi Fly test flights, without any single-use plastic items on board that we would make Hi Fly the world’s first ‘plastic-free’ airline within 12 months. We knew that if we worked hard to overcome the problems that it was 100% possible. More importantly, in our hearts, we knew it was much more than that. We knew that this was a necessary move for the future of our planet. We are excited and we are proud, but we were never in doubt.”

“Over 100,000 flights take off each day around the world and, last year, commercial aircraft carried nearly four billion passengers. This number is expected to double again in less than 20 years. So, the potential to make a difference here is clear,” added Mr. Mirpuri. “We take our commitment very seriously."

Hi Fly is an EASA and IOSA certified and FAA approved carrier that operates a large fleet of Airbus aircraft, Airbus A320, A330, A340 and A380 families, exclusively available for wet lease worldwide. Wet Lease - the supply of aircraft and crew, maintenance and insurance - is Hi Fly’s core business.

See also: Waste, Single-Use Plastic and Climate Change - Interview with WWF.

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