Australia’s consumer watchdog is considering action

Etihad Airways is in hot water over allegations it lied about its emissions reduction plans.

Australia’s consumer watchdog is now considering action against the airline as the body crackdown on so-called greenwashing.

It follows two Etihad advertisements that appeared on digital advertising banners during a football match at Melbourne’s AAMI Park on 15 February last year.

The ad had the words “net zero emissions by 2050” next to its logo.

In another commercial, the airline claimed “Flying shouldn’t cost the Earth”.

Flight Free Australia claims the ads convey the misleading impression that flying with Etihad does not have a significant environmental impact and Etihad intends to achieve net zero by 2050.

But the group says middle eastern airline has no credible path to net zero emissions by this date and it is not “technologically, practically, or economically feasible” to reach this goal.