Returns proxy: cups washed
93%
rounded from 93.4% of cups served, using wash counts as a proxy for returns. Machine-recorded returns were 81.6%.
Sky Cups / aviation reuse
Reuse
takes
flight.
Aviation uses millions of single-use cups every year. Sky Cups helps airports and airlines move from single-use cups to reuse systems designed around how aviation actually operates.
Through the SkyCycle System™, we coordinate the partners, logistics and planning needed to make reuse viable, from gate to ground, so your team doesn’t have to piece the system together alone.
From gate
to ground.
Designed
for aviation
for aviation
A better way to do it
Replacing the cup is the easy part.
Making reuse work in aviation takes a system.
Make the internal business caseA reusable cup has to move through a much bigger operation: passengers, catering, collection, washing, biosecurity, crew workflows and live service.
That’s where Sky Cups comes in.
There’s already evidence that travellers can participate when reuse is designed well. A 2026 reusable cup trial at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol offers one industry example.
For airports and airlines, that opens a bigger opportunity: less reliance on single-use, more useful waste and emissions data, and practical evidence to help decide what’s worth scaling.
Passenger rating after return
4.5/5
rounded from 4.54/5 across 2,061 ratings after successful cup returns, not a survey of all passengers.
Negative sales impact
No evidence
of a negative impact on sales was reported. This does not establish that sales were unchanged.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Lounge 4, 3 February–3 March 2026: a one-month trial with a €1 cup deposit, not proof of performance at scale. These are industry results, not outcomes achieved by Sky Cups or a forecast for your operation.
Source: Read Royal Schiphol Group’s trial report in International Airport Review — Denise Pronk and Sara Solis, 21 July 2026.
Designed for the way aviation operates
Reuse should fit your operation,
not fight it.
Turnaround times. Galley space. Biosecurity. Crew and ground workflows. Passenger experience. Commercial requirements.
They are not details to solve later. They shape the system from the start.
We begin by understanding how your airport, airline, or route operates today, then map where reuse could fit.
No generic rollout. No forcing your operation into someone else's model. From gate to ground, Sky Cups is there.
The SkyCycle System™
A structured way to explore reuse
before you scale it.
Reuse works when the moving parts work together. We map the operational roles, logistics, and planning needed for a coordinated approach.
Discover
Know where reuse can work before committing to implementation.
We assess your priorities, operational environment and opportunities to define the right place to begin.
OperationsConstraintsPilot design
Orchestrate
Give your teams one coordinated plan, not another problem to solve.
We bring together the operational requirements and relevant partners across areas such as catering, collection, washing, logistics and passenger experience.
PartnersLogisticsPlanning
Activate
Start in a defined environment, learn what works and build from there.
We support rollout, capture operational insights and use those learnings to inform the next stage.
Live pilotEvidenceNext steps
Your opportunity to lead
Prove what works first. Then decide what comes next.
A well-designed pilot helps answer the questions that matter before you make a bigger decision. That's practical leadership: moving forward with proof, not promises.
What reuse could give your organisation
More than fewer disposable cups.
For airports
Bring retailers, lounges, service providers, and operational teams into one approach.
For airlines
Test reduced reliance on single use while accounting for service flow, catering, crew, biosecurity, collection, and passengers.
For decision-makers
Build a defined pilot, measurable outcomes, and evidence for the next conversation.
Ready to explore what’s possible?
Let's map
what reuse
could look like.
Whether reuse is a new conversation inside your organisation or already part of a wider waste strategy, we can start with the reality of how you operate today.
Frequently asked questions
The useful questions come first.
A considered first conversation starts with the realities of your operation, not a one-size-fits-all promise.
Sky Cups is building reuse systems for aviation. Using the SkyCycle System™, we help airports and airlines explore how a coordinated reuse model could fit their operation, rather than forcing the operation into a pre-set model.
Sky Cups is focused on the complete reuse system, not only the cup. We help map operational planning, logistics, and the partner roles a practical implementation would need.
Airports and airlines operate in complex environments. For reuse to work, it needs to fit alongside passenger movements, biosecurity requirements, operational workflows, and commercial objectives, without adding unnecessary complexity.
Yes. A pilot gives you the opportunity to explore how a reuse system could work within your operation, build confidence across your teams, and gather valuable operational insights before taking the next step.
Sky Cups is designed for airports, airlines, and the wider aviation ecosystem. The system approach considers the roles of the operational teams and service providers needed to make reuse practical.
Customer expectations, environmental reporting requirements, and industry momentum are accelerating the move away from single use. Starting the conversation now gives your organisation time to explore what reuse could look like, prepare for change, and play a part in shaping what comes next for aviation.