The flight VN-37
This service from HAN to FRA had a flight time of 11 hours and 49 minutes, with a departure from HAN at 23:23 and an early morning arrival of 06:11 at FRA. The flight was operated by the carrier's 274-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which is configured with 28 seats in business class with a one-two-one layout, 35 seats in premium economy class with a two-three-two layout, and 211 seats in economy class in a three-three-three configuration.
From giving passengers bags recycled from old life jackets to serving sustainable meals, the carrier had innovative ideas to make the flight more eco-friendly. The airline also requested passengers to carry their personal items rather than using disposable items provided onboard.
Photo: Vietnam Airlines
The carrier turned old life jackets that no longer meet the safety requirements into recycled bags with high passenger applications. This was done in partnership with Limloop Social Enterprise. With such an idea, the airline can reduce its carbon footprint because the greenhouse emissions from plastic disposal are lowered.
Nutritionally balanced and sustainable meals were served onboard, using locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables and sustainable plant-based protein alternatives. In the future, the airline plans to work with other organizations to secure leftovers and unused food to distribute to charitable organizations.
A new idea implemented for this year's challenge was to request passengers to bring their personal items onboard, such as water bottles, blankets, and amenities. This will reduce the environmental impacts which the use of non-renewable items and one-time-use plastic can cause. As an extra incentive, the passengers who brought their items will receive a 10% discount on their next international flight with the airline throughout this year.
Simple Flying has contacted Vietnam Airlines requesting comments regarding this milestone flight and to learn more about any observations made on this eco-friendly flight. An airline spokesperson replied,
"It was done as a part of our sustainability effort in response to SkyTeam's call for sustainability challenge. The general purpose is to drive broader industry change."
The Sustainability Flight Challenge
SkyTeam Alliance launched The Sustainable Flight Challenge (TSFC) in 2022. Within the aviation industry, it was the first sustainable initiative of its kind to make a meaningful short-term impact. The participating airlines are to commit to sharing their innovations and ideas after performing the challenge to the whole industry to help reduce the environmental effects caused by aircraft until alternative fuel sources are available in greater quantity.
This year's challenge took part from May 15th to May 28th, with 22 airlines participating. In total, 72 flights were planned, split into 24 short-haul flights, 24 medium-haul flights, and 24 long-haul flights. The participating airlines were:
Aerolíneas Argentinas | Aeromexico | Aeromexico Connect | Air Europa |
Air France | China Airlines | China Eastern | Delta Air Lines |
Endeavor Air | Garuda Indonesia | ITA Airways | Kenya Airways |
Jumbojet | KLM | KLM Cityhopper | Korean Air |
Middle East Airlines (MEA) | Saudia | Shanghai Airlines | Tarom |
Vietnam Airlines | Xiamenair |
For the flights to be eligible for this challenge, the flight must be part of the airlines' existing route network and be of a specified distance. Upon completion, the airlines submit the observations and data collected in flight for an evaluation, which a worldwide panel of aviation and sustainability experts will review.
Tags: Vietnam Airlines
