The world’s first plastic-free flight took to the skies just after Christmas, operated by “Hi Fly”, a Portuguese airline that says it can “no longer ignore” the impact the single-use material has on the environment.

The company that leases aircraft in Portugal and Malta, replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives crafted from recycled material.

The flight took passengers from the carrier’s headquarters in Lisbon to Brazil on an Airbus A340 and is the first of three more test flights to follow, all carrying a total of 700 travelers.

The aim, according to Hi Fly president Paulo Mirpuri, is to adopt a plastic-free policy on all its flights by the end of 2019.

“We know from the feedback we have received from client airlines and passengers, that it’s the right thing for the airline to be doing,” Mirpuri said. “These test flights will prevent around 350kg of single-use, virtually indestructible plastics from poisoning our environment.”

He told Canadian television network CTV: “We can no longer ignore the impact plastic contamination has on ecosystems, as well as on human health.”

Source:
www.telegraph.co.uk