CAPA – Centre for Aviation announces winners of CAPA Environmental Sustainability Awards

The ceremony highlighted the aviation industry's accelerating commitment to environmental transformation - celebrating organisations that are not merely adapting to sustainability requirements, but actively pioneering the solutions that will define aviation's path towards carbon neutrality and beyond.

CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Content & Marketing Director, Marco Navarria, said: "The CAPA Aviation Sustainability Awards for Excellence celebrate the trailblazers driving environmental transformation across the global air travel sector".

"Through rigorous evaluation using independently verified data and comprehensive analytical frameworks, these prestigious awards establish the gold standard for recognising organisations that embed environmental excellence at the heart of their strategic vision."

"The 2025 award recipients have showcased exceptional dedication to pioneering sustainability initiatives within their own operations, whilst championing the industry's collective mission to achieve ambitious emissions reduction targets and deliver a net-zero aviation future."

Environmental Sustainability Winners

Airline winners across various categories have been selected by CAPA using data that has been independently sourced and analysed, by both CAPA and Envest Global.

Winners in additional categories were selected through a rigorous judging process, led by CAPA's internal analysts.

The category winners have established themselves as leaders among their peers, providing a model of operation that others can aspire to:

• Global Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year
• IAG Group
• Asia Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year
• Air New Zealand
• EMEA Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Latin American Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year
• Volaris
• North American Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year
• Air Transat

Global Sustainability Airline Group of the Year: IAG Group

Considering the balance of operational performance, financial metrics and progress around sustainability and environmental matters, IAG Group is the standout airline group in 2024/2025.

In particular, several of the group's major airlines - including British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus - are taking leading positions around the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and supporting sustainable aviation by making long-term investments to support future SAF production.

At the group level, IAG has established a progressive position to meet the EU's SAF mandate ahead of time, with a group target to account for 10% of total fuel use by 2030 target. The group is also investing to support start-ups through its Accelorator programme, which identifies and collaborates with scale-up businesses to help accelerate the industry's energy transition.

Asia/Pac Sustainability Airline of the Year: Air New Zealand

There are few airlines in the world that are able to marry talk and actions in terms of sustainability as well as Air New Zealand.

Despite the airline's own acknowledge issues around aircraft availability, and groundings impacting its sustainability targets, the airline's 2030 Emissions Guidance still projects a 20% to 25% percent reduction in net emissions from jet fuel by 2030 (against a 2019 baseline).

Air New Zealand is also among the most active airlines in the Asia-Pacific when it comes to the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). For the year to Jun-2025, 1.7% of total fuel upload was SAF (up from 0.4% in 2024) and the carrier is looking ahead to a target of 10% SAF use by 2030. Beyond this, Air New Zealand is taking a realistic and detailed approach to its efforts to reduce emissions and meet its other commitments around environmental, social and governance efforts.

European Sustainability Airline of the Year: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

The Dutch national carrier, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has been a recognised global leader in terms of sustainability initiatives.

The airline was among the first to make long-term commitments around sustainability and other environmental efforts in order to reduce waste, improve efficiency and embrace novel strategies to improve its performance. Sustainability considerations are included across all elements of the business and passenger journey.

In recent years KLM has redoubled its efforts, and is refining its long-term sustainability vision by including it as a core part of business and operating strategy.

The airline is also open to embracing more radical solutions. This includes playing leading roles in efforts to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel and eFuels development, investing to support supply-chain innovation and exploring other more radical ways to reduce emissions.

Few airlines have shown the commitment to the decarbonisation of air travel and have pushed for local, regional and global policies that will support this in the way that KLM has.

Latin American Sustainability Airline of the Year: Volaris

The Mexican LCC Volaris boasts one of the most efficient fleets and highest efficiency airline operations across Central and South America.

A previous winner of CAPA's Latin American Environmental Sustainability Airline of the Year, the airline continues to impress with its practical actions around sustainability - such as rolling out digital tools to improve the efficiency of its flights and minimise environmental impacts.

While maintaining its ultra-low cost operating model Volaris also stands out from LCC peers through its looking forward approach. The airline is one of only a handful of LCCs globally that are investing to support the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Volaris is also engaging in partnerships and investments to accelerate the development of SAF in Mexico.

North America Sustainability Airline of the Year: Air Transat

The Canadian leisure airline has made sustained efforts towards the decarbonisation of its operations in recent years.

The airline has largely phased out its older widebodies in favour of new generation, long-range narrowbodies, favouring the efficiency of its operations.

To further act on its carbon footprint, Air Transat is turning to new innovations in AI technology and machine learning to develop solutions that offer fuel savings both in the sky and on the ground.

These efforts are part of a broader Transat Corporate Responsibility framework, anchored by three action pillars. People, Planet & Sustainable Practices. Through this framework, Air Transat is contributing to industry-wide efforts in a way that supports awareness of sustainable travel overall.