LONDON, Aug 7 — While hydrogen-powered aircraft is one of the most promising avenues being explored for a greener future for aviation, the reduction of food waste generated by in-flight meals is another aspect that several airlines are investigating. The latest initiative involves British Airways, which has decided to stop loading its planes with meals for each individual. Here’s how that works.
According to Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), air transport generated 914 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019 worldwide. With tourism estimated to be responsible for 8 per cent of all CO2 emissions worldwide, according to the landmark study published in the scientific journal Nature in 2018 as well as a publication from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), around three-quarters of this amount can be attributed to transport — 40 per cent of it by air, compared with 32 per cent by car and 3 per cent by other forms of transport.
The stakes are therefore high for air travel to adapt and the challenges are numerous. Several solutions are currently being considered, such as hydrogen-powered aircraft, like that of British/American manufacturer ZeroAvia, which launched the largest aircraft of its kind at the beginning of the year, with the aim of launching the first commercial flights as early as 2025. Another area being explored is sustainable fuel, which is being tested by various builders and airlines.
Fewer on-board meals
However, increasingly, airlines are looking to reduce their carbon emissions another way, by tackling a matter that passengers are familiar with in their daily lives: food waste. According to an internal memo consulted by industry media such as the View From the Wing blog, British Airways has decided to no longer load enough meal trays on board for all passengers, in order to reduce the amount of waste.
Most of us have probably been on a flight when we noticed a passenger who prefers to forgo their meal in favour of sleeping. In a context where the global in-flight catering market is set to grow by 6.5 per cent a year by 2031, according to a study by Fact.MR last year, due to the upturn in domestic and international flights, this initiative, which is set to take the form of a test run, makes sense.
Whether it’s a genuine desire to reduce its carbon footprint or a desire to cut costs or both, the fact remains that this decision, which concerns long-haul flights, raises questions about the possibility of some passengers potentially going hungry during their journey.
According to the Paddleyourownkanoo.com website, the British carrier should be able to adjust meal quantities quickly during this experiment, and outlined that their move is based on “consistent patterns of food waste” while “ensuring all customers that request a meal receive one” according to a statement.
The lack of food on board a recent British Airways Nassau/London flight saw passengers served KFC chicken wings made headlines in July but that incident had no connection with this experiment. British Airways explained that it was due to a problem with one of its refrigerators.
Meanwhile this isn’t the first time that the issue of food waste has been brought to the table by British Airways. In the early 2010s, the airline shared its plans to use biomass and food scraps to develop a sustainable fuel.
Other approaches to reducing on-board food waste
Emirates and Etihad have chosen to use artificial intelligence to assess data regarding the quantity of uneaten meals according to passengers’ eating habits. In Europe, Lufthansa has taken a different approach. With the aim of halving food waste by 2025, the German carrier launched the “Onboard Delights Last Minute” programme in May. Passengers can buy fresh sandwiches and salads with a short shelf life.
This anti-waste approach is also a budget-friendly move for travellers, who can enjoy a meal for €3.50 (RM17.50) on flights to Frankfurt and Munich. Within the Lufthansa group, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Eurowings have been offering unsold food at reduced prices since 2022. According to the company, this enabled 80,000 items of food to be consumed instead of ending up in the garbage can. — ETX Studio
