It's also teamed up with French aerospace giant Safran to trial a new e-taxi hydrogen fuel cell technology that ensures a plane's time spent moving on the ground produces zero emissions. easyJet estimates that around 4 percent of its total fuel is used when an aircraft is taxiing, so it could save as much as 55,000 tonnes of fuel (and the associated CO2 emissions) should the e-taxi system be applied across its 279-strong fleet.

All electric

Electric planes might be a long way off, but easyJet wants to be on the front foot when they do become a viable alternative to fuel-powered jets. The airline has partnered with US company Wright Electric to develop an all-electric aircraft capable of handling a large percentage of its short haul flights in the near future.

Right now, easyJet is providing flight data and additional diagnostics to help Wright Electric build a plane that doesn't require jet fuel. The US startup -- founded last year by a group of engineers from NASA, Boeing and Cessna -- has already crafted a two-seater prototype and believes it can build a fully electric plane within the next decade.

The proposed Wright Electric plane suits easyJet because the ideal range is 540 kilometres/335 miles and it accommodate up to 120 passengers. That would cover 20 percent (or one in five) of seats flown by the airline today. Belfast to London, Bristol to Edinburgh, London to Amsterdam, Berlin to Vienna and Geneva to Paris are just a few of the routes that would benefit from a battery-powered plane.

The concept, shown below, operates in a similar way to an electric car. Batteries are laid in the hull of the aircraft and power motors inside the wing, instead of below it. This results in reduced drag and higher efficiency (plus it looks cool).