Britain's Advertising Authority (ASA) on Wednesday slammed two video adverts from Emirati airline Etihad Airways for "
misleading
" and "
exaggerated
" claims promoting "
sustainable
" air travel.
The ads, which ran on Facebook last October, claimed Etihad understood '
the impact of air travel on the environment
' and pushed for '
a bigger and bolder approach to sustainable aviation
', according to a regulator ruling. released Wednesday.
But there is "
currently no commercially viable initiative or technology in the aviation industry that would justify (...) an indisputable ecological claim + of sustainable aviation +
", tackled the ASA.
These " exaggerated
" claims
violate the advertising code, said the regulator, which requires the company to clearly substantiate any future claims "
to ensure that its advertisements do not give a misleading impression
" to consumers.
Etihad highlighted during the proceedings its climate initiatives and its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the decision said.
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But "
many of these initiatives won't produce results for years or decades
" and in the meantime, "
air travel continues to produce high levels of gases, CO2 and the like, which contribute substantially to climate change
", retorted the ASA.
The German airline group Lufthansa had also been called to order in early March by the ASA for an advertisement in which it claimed to "
protect the future
" of the planet, which "
gave a misleading impression of the environmental impact
" of the company.
