Step by step towards a sustainable airline: SunExpress has launched a series of initiatives on board on the occasion of this year’s international UN Environment Day – in addition to the several initiatives that are already ongoing. On this day, the airline is replacing plastic cups, -straws, cutlery and stirring sticks with sustainable alternatives made out of wood or paper on all international flights. By doing that, almost 70,000 disposable plastic articles can be saved in one day alone. The airline was actively supported in procuring the equipment by its providers Spiriant, RIM and Gate Retail. In order to sensitize the young guests to environmental issues at an early stage, SunExpress will distribute small puzzle books made of FSC-certified paper as a giveaway on the occasion of World Environment Day. In a playful way, children are taught important environmental topics such as waste separation or the pollution of the oceans by plastic. The booklets were designed exclusively for SunExpress by the provider Kidz Inflight. The „World Environment Day“, initiated by the United Nations in 1974, is celebrated annually by more than 100 countries around the world.
Lightweight equipment, sustainable water bottles and Co.
SunExpress has also introduced a number of initiatives on board and on the ground outside of World Environment Day, and is thus gradually moving towards a „Green Cabin“ and being a more sustainable airline. Since 2018, the airline has successively started using lightweight equipment on board: The ultra-modern trolleys will save a total of 14 kilograms of weight on a return flight between Germany and Turkey, which corresponds to a total CO2 saving of 36.6 tons on all flights operated since the start of the project. In addition, SunExpress Germany’s inflight shopping has an environmentally friendly, foldable and versatile silicone drinking bottle from Bübi available for the whole family. Another plus: Each bottle purchased is filled with half a litre of mineral water free of charge. The flight attendants also ask during their service if the passengers want a plastic cup with their drink or not. As part of its cooperation with the delivery service startup Foodora, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines already tested the use of sustainable tableware made from biomaterials such as lactic acid or sugar cane in spring.
SunExpress and its young fleet of modern and efficient aircraft were awarded a respectable sixth place in the renowned global Airline Index 2018 of the climate protection organization “atmosfair”. The index compares the 190 largest airlines in the world according to their climate efficiency and takes into account factors such as aircraft type, engines, aerodynamic wingtips and aircraft utilization. In cooperation with “atmosfair”, the airline also offers its passengers the opportunity to offset the CO2 emissions of the booked flight with a donation to a climate protection project on its homepage. SunExpress understands these activities as small steps on a continuous journey and will continue to test innovative sustainability concepts along the entire value chain in the future and develop and optimize them accordingly on the basis of customer feedback.
The carrier operates the largest fleet in its history this year with 84 aircraft. SunExpress also has a long-standing track record of driving innovation in the airline industry and working with start-ups. For instance, SunExpress is the world’s first airline to offer its customers the option of booking flights by voice command via Amazon Alexa. In summer, SunExpress also offers Virtual Reality Entertainment via VR headsets on selected flights from Antalya.
