Etihad for Business now lets corporates redeem credits for carbon-offsets

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has bolstered the sustainability feature of its corporate travel platform by allowing business clients under its Etihad for Business scheme to redeem accumulated credits directly for carbon-offsets. Under the new functionality, firms can convert EYB credits into verified offsets, strengthening efforts to neutralise the emissions generated through corporate travel.

With this move, Etihad expands on earlier voluntary offsetting and sustainable-fuel measures in its broader environmental programme. The airline had previously collaborated with providers such as CarbonClick to let passengers offset their trips, and extended its commitment via the 2020-era launch of the “greenliner” carbon-offset scheme, pledging to cut net emissions by 2050.

Company statements emphasise that the new option aims to support corporate clients’ ESG commitments. EYB users’ redeemed credits contribute to offset programmes that underpin Etihad’s pledged sustainability roadmap, while providing businesses a tangible tool to address Scope 3 emissions linked to air travel. For larger-scale clients, using carbon offsets via the EYB platform may help meet internal carbon-reduction or reporting targets.

Etihad’s broader environmental strategy remains multifaceted. In parallel to offset programmes, the airline has pursued cleaner operations through fleet modernisation, efficiency gains and experimentation with sustainable aviation fuel. Since 2022, it has been scaling SAF adoption — notably securing supply in Japan and deploying flights partly powered by greener fuel blends. That has contributed to a roughly 26 per cent reduction in emissions intensity, compared with 2019 baseline levels.

Despite growing interest in carbon-offset programmes within aviation, the effectiveness of such schemes remains under scrutiny. Critics caution that offsets may offer only partial mitigation of emissions generated from long-haul flights, particularly given the sector’s reliance on fossil-based jet fuel and the slow pace of SAF scaling. Yet for corporates seeking to embed sustainability in business travel, the EYB initiative represents a pragmatic, flexible option — combining operational convenience with environmental accountability.

As airlines worldwide navigate mounting regulatory and reputational pressure to decarbonise, Etihad’s move to integrate offset purchasing directly within its corporate travel framework signals evolving expectations around climate responsibility in the business travel segment.