As part of its environmental initiatives, Emirates opens one of the world's most environmentally ambitious conservation resorts, next year on the 4000-acre Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa in the Blue Mountains in Australia.

The project involves restoring vast tracks of distressed farming land back to its native state and reintroducing endangered fauna and flora. The US$69 million resort will only occupy about one per cent of the total land mass, the airline said.

It said this is part of a series of new initiatives to further improve the environmental performance of its operations worldwide. The programme, branded Environment, includes the adoption of a new environmental policy for the Emirates Group; a global staff awareness campaign; and internal goals to reduce energy consumption and waste, as well as increase recycling and training.

Emirates has also launched a new section on its website that features information on the Group’s management of environmental issues. It outlines Emirates’ environmental policies; the eco-efficiency of the A380 and wider fleet; the airline’s conservation-based resort projects; efforts currently in practice across the Group; and information on flight operations that positively impact fuel and emission reduction.