Akasa Air, India’s greenest airline with the youngest fleet in global aviation, today reaffirmed its commitment towards sustainability as it builds a holistic travel experience, aligned with today’s consumers who are increasingly seeking environmentally friendly travel options and want to make a difference through their choices.
Staying true to its commitment to play a part in taking care of the environment, Akasa Air is enhancing its sustainable practices across products, services, premises and its engagement with partners and stakeholders.
Expanding on the airline’s initiative to be environmentally progressive, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, of Akasa Air said, “With the growing awareness around sustainability, we see more passengers being environmentally conscious and supporting businesses that are committed to the cause. When we established Akasa Air, we made a promise to be an airline with empathy and sustainability at our core. As we get closer to completing the first year of our operations, our resolve is even stronger to play our part and demonstrate our commitment towards preserving our environment. We will continue to strive towards being the greenest airline in the Indian skies.”
Akasa Air has undertaken several initiatives to reduce its environmental impact and offer passengers an all-round sustainable travel experience.
Fuel-efficient and new 737 MAX airplane to lower environmental impact
Powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines and incorporating advanced technology winglets, the 737 MAX offers excellent economics, reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 per cent compared to the airplanes it replaces. Moreover, the Boeing 737 is a quieter aircraft, creating a 50 per cent less noise footprint and offering 20 per cent lower airframe maintenance costs.
First-of-its-kind crew uniform with an equal focus on sustainability and comfort
The trousers and jacket fabric of the airline’s crew uniform is specially developed using recycled polyester fabric which is made from pet bottle plastic salvaged from marine waste. Moreover, no plastic has been used in the manufacturing of crew shoes, instead, the shoe sole is made from recycled rubber.
Eco-friendly packaging in airline’s in-flight meal service, Café Akasa
Packaging for all perishable meals is 100 per cent recyclable and made from paper which is ethically sourced from sustainably grown crops. All packaging is manufactured without any bleach or other optical brightening agents (OBA) chemicals. The wooden cutlery on board is also biodegradable. Moreover, passengers are required to pre-book their meals before flying with Café Akasa so that we only uplift what will be consumed, thereby avoiding any wastage.
Steps towards water conservation
A key decision taken by the airline was to move away from the ceremonial water canon salutes at flight and route inaugurations for the management of water wastage which has resulted in saving approximately 3,00,000 litres of water to date.
Use of responsible practices and waste management
Akasa Air has adopted several best practices in waste management across operations with the usage of biodegradable bags and waste management products. All offices, stations and training centres are administratively guided by sustainable processes such as cutting down the paper and single-use plastic, using LED lighting and using reusable products in common areas such as pantries.
Akasa Air is committed to its agenda of being the most environmentally progressive airline and shall continue to introduce many more initiatives and make impactful strides in this mission.
