In 2019, the Mirpuri Foundation and Hi Fly welcomed European Commission representatives, IATA, airlines, airports, catering companies and manufacturers to a ground-breaking international Sustainable Cabin Forum at Sintra, Portugal.
The event was hailed as a groundbreaking success after it gave airline and airport operators a valuable opportunity to discuss their experiences, achievements and aspirations, for the first time with key regulators, in a bid to tackle the challenges of single-use plastic and catering waste in aviation.
The Forum, held at the Penha Longa Resort in the Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais, near Lisbon, on European Maritime Day, was organised by wet-lease carrier Hi Fly and the Mirpuri Foundation, in partnership with IATA (International Air Transport Association) and under patronage of the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella.
Panelists and attendees throughout the day acknowledged the challenges facing the industry, and representatives from IATA and the European Commission, together with leaders from the aviation industry set out their own visions for a more sustainable future, described the steps they were taking and took questions on their experiences and achievements to-date.
The day’s wide-ranging discussions also assessed the challenges lying ahead and the perceived adequacy of the industry’s current regulatory framework.
President Paulo Mirpuri explained why, and how, Hi Fly had become the first carrier globally to operate single-use plastic-free passenger services in a series of intercontinental test flights over the Christmas period 2018. The President also talked attendees through the airline’s initial vision and the actions it was currently taking to secure fleet-wide implementation of the company’s policy by the end of 2019.
