Loading

Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 06-Jan-2022

Analysis

JetBlue launches 'Sustainable Travel Partners' programme

airBaltic increases sustainable aviation fuel use by 20% in 2021

Wizz Air CO2 emissions per pax km down 25% in Dec-2021

New Agartala Airport terminal to run on solar power from Apr-2022

Denmark sets SAF targets for domestic flights for 2025 and 2030

This CAPA report features a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news, selected from the 300+ news alerts published daily by CAPA. For more information, please contact us.

JetBlue launches 'Sustainable Travel Partners' programme

JetBlue Airways launched (05-Jan-2022) a 'JetBlue Sustainable Travel Partners' programme with its inaugural customers Biogen, Deloitte, ICF and Salesforce. The programme will offer corporate partners the following resources:

  • Business travel emissions reduction through the offering of JetBlue generated sustainable aviation fuel certificates;
  • Complimentary carbon offsetting on all domestic flights operated by JetBlue;
  • Personalised travel data and analysis for more accurate emissions reporting;
  • Consultation and tools for custom planning and target setting to support in making more sustainable travel decisions. [more - original PR]

Original report: JetBlue Introduces 'Sustainable Travel Partners' Program Empowering Corporate Customers to Enhance the Sustainability of their Business Travel

-- New Initiative Helps JetBlue's Corporate Travel Partners Fast Track Their Companies' Sustainable Travel Targets with Options to Help Purchase Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Receive Complimentary Carbon Offsetting and Personalized Emissions Reporting --

-- JetBlue Partners With Launch Customers: Biogen, Deloitte, ICF, and Salesforce to Accelerate the Path Toward Sustainable Aviation and Reducing a Combined 2,730 Metric Tons of CO2e Emissions -

JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announced the launch of its "JetBlue Sustainable Travel Partners" program, and its inaugural customers, Biogen, Deloitte, ICF, and Salesforce, a suite of offerings to help corporate travel customers reduce their business travel emissions and meet their own corporate sustainability targets. In keeping with JetBlue's customer focus, the airline is approaching sustainable travel as a partnership by providing its corporate travelers with personalized data and resources to help them enhance the sustainability of their travel. JetBlue has a long history of taking meaningful and measurable steps in reducing aviation's contribution to climate change and is now inviting its corporate partners to join in this mission.

The Sustainable Travel Partners program offers corporate partners the following resources:

  1. Business travel emissions reduction through the offering of JetBlue generated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certificates
  2. Complimentary carbon offsetting on all domestic flights operated by JetBlue
  3. Personalized travel data and analysis for more accurate emissions reporting
  4. Consultation and tools for custom planning and target-setting to support in making more sustainable travel decisions

JetBlue Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Certificates

SAF is a synthetic jet fuel produced from renewable biological resources that can be replenished rapidly and without impacting food supply. Compared to traditional petroleum-based Jet-A fuel, SAF can emit up to 80 percent less CO2 over its lifecycle when used in neat form and reduces air pollutants such as particulate matter and sulfur oxides. SAF drops into existing engines and infrastructure and is ASTM certified when blended up to 50-50 with fossil Jet-A fuel. With more than a 10 year track record of safe use in aircraft, SAF is recognized as the most promising solution to mitigate air transport emissions currently available.

JetBlue has been flying regularly on SAF as a component of its fuel supply from its partners Neste out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) since July 2020 and World Energy (SAF producer) and World Fuel Services (logistics supplier) out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) since July 2021. JetBlue recently shared industry-leading plans to speed up its transition to SAF with a deal with its partner SG Preston that will bring 67 million gallons of blended SAF a year to the Northeast over 10 years. Following this agreement, JetBlue leads the airline industry in committed SAF off-take based on a percentage of total fuel at roughly 8% and is on track to meet its goal of converting 10% of its total fuel use to SAF years ahead of its 2030 target.

Through the purchase of SAF certificates, JetBlue customers now have the ability to directly and meaningfully reduce their business travel emissions. Business travel emissions, categorized as "Scope 3" emissions, are indirect emissions customers are not directly responsible for but that exist within the value chain, such as those produced through corporate travel. By purchasing SAF certificates, our corporate customers may reduce their reported carbon footprint, while helping cover the cost premium of SAF that exists today - thereby growing the share of SAF JetBlue is able to source while helping stimulate the emerging SAF market that is critical for the aviation industry to reach its net zero goals. Through the Sustainable Travel Partners program, our partners are helping source roughly 325,000 gallons of SAF, helping reduce 2,730 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

Complimentary Domestic Carbon Offsetting

In July 2020, JetBlue became the first US airline to voluntarily offset the CO2 emissions from jet fuel for all its domestic flights. All of JetBlue's purchased carbon offsets are audited, verified and retired on the airline's behalf from its three expert carbon offsetting partners Carbonfund.org, EcoAct, and South Pole. As part of its offsetting portfolio, JetBlue selects projects around the globe focused on forestry, landfill gas capture, solar, and wind projects that reduce or avoid CO2 emissions. As Sustainable Travel Partners, JetBlue's customers can benefit from enhanced reporting on our complimentary carbon offsets, as well as review opportunities to expand offsetting utilizing JetBlue's offsetting expertise and business partners.

Emissions Travel Data and Analysis

Historically, business travelers have not had the ability to estimate their air travel emissions in a personalized, accurate, or granular way. Through the Sustainable Travel Partners program, JetBlue is saving partners the effort of inaccurate guesswork by offering emissions reporting based on travelers' actual flying and JetBlue's average actual fuel burn on those routes. JetBlue's intent is to provide our partners with more accurate emissions reporting by sharing actual operational data, as well as incorporating the airline's own emissions reduction initiatives into emissions reporting. JetBlue is also working to include travel emissions data into Salesforce's Net Zero Cloud with hopes of making this available to the airline's Sustainable Travel Partners. For corporate customers who purchase SAF certificates, JetBlue will also provide emissions reporting highlighting the estimated emissions reduction associated with the SAF.

Sustainable Tools and Consultation

JetBlue Sustainability and Corporate Sales representatives have developed guidance and are available for personalized conversations to help JetBlue's business customers develop strategies to reduce their emissions associated with their organization's business travel. This includes helping set emissions reduction targets associated with their business travel and recommending actions to promote more sustainable travel decisions to achieve these goals.

"As our business customers return to the skies, they increasingly have been asking for our support in meeting their net zero and sustainable travel goals," said Sara Bogdan, director of sustainability and environmental social governance, JetBlue. "JetBlue has extensive expertise in decarbonizing air travel thanks to our early and leading commitments and supply agreements. We're now extending these options to our corporate customers so that, for the first time, they can play a direct role in enhancing the sustainability of their air travel when flying with JetBlue. We're proud to introduce the Sustainable Travel Partners program to help our business customers set and achieve their sustainable travel targets."

Partner Quotes

"Climate action is essential for human and planetary wellbeing," says Alphonse Galdes, Ph.D., Head of Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology at Biogen. "Yet, if we hope to make a substantive impact in this area, we all must come together - across industries - to re-examine the way we work, the way we live and the way we consume energy. By becoming an inaugural member of JetBlue's Sustainable Travel Partner Program, we at Biogen are proud to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and their associated impacts, as well as utilize more accurate data to inform travel decisions in the future."

"Deloitte is committed to driving responsible climate choices," said Scott Corwin, Managing Director and US Leader for Sustainability and Climate Change at Deloitte LLP. "By coming together with JetBlue, we are another step closer to reducing our travel emissions and achieving a more sustainable future."

"As the first professional services firm in the world to reach carbon neutral status in 2006, sustainability is part of our company's DNA," said ICF President, Chair and CEO John Wasson. "As we continue to pursue our own ambitious carbon reduction targets, we're thrilled to partner with JetBlue to help other companies achieve their sustainability targets, too."

"We are proud to join JetBlue's Sustainable Travel Partners program to help accelerate the aviation industry's journey to net zero," said Patrick Flynn, VP and Global Head of Sustainability at Salesforce. "The urgency of this climate emergency means we need all-of-the-above strategies. For us that includes helping incentivize emerging clean technologies like Sustainable Aviation Fuels and working with partners like the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance to lower barriers to scale and cost reduction."

JetBlue's Decarbonization Strategy

JetBlue is taking bold steps to address its emissions and reduce its contribution to climate change. In 2020, JetBlue became the first US airline to voluntarily offset CO2 emissions on all its domestic flights. To date, the airline has offset more than 6 million metric tons of CO2. Upon launching this initiative, JetBlue has been very transparent that it views carbon offsetting as a short-term solution while the industry builds up lower-carbon solutions. The airline has therefore been very aggressive in growing solutions that have a more direct reduction in air travel emissions, such as making large commitments to the purchase of SAF. JetBlue recently shared plans to speed up its transition to SAF with a deal that will bring 67 million gallons of SAF a year to the Northeast over 10 years, putting the airline well ahead of pace to reach its target to convert 10 percent of its total fuel usage to SAF on a blended basis by 2030.

While JetBlue views SAF and carbon offsetting as promising solutions in addressing aircraft emissions, these are just two pieces of JetBlue's larger decarbonization strategy, which currently also includes aircraft efficiency, fuel optimization, electric ground operations and technology partnerships.

Industry Collaboration

The Sustainable Travel Partners Program represents the next step as JetBlue collaboratively works with its many partners to accelerate solutions to decarbonize aviation. In November, JetBlue announced it had joined Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), a joint initiative with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and a forward-looking group of corporate travelers and U.S. airlines to help drive investment in high-integrity SAF. In October, JetBlue joined as a launch member of the Aviation Climate Taskforce, a new non-profit organization founded to accelerate breakthroughs in emerging technologies to decarbonize aviation, alongside 9 other global airlines and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

To join JetBlue's Sustainable Travel Partner program, visit https://www.jetblue.com/sustainability/sustainable-travel-partners.

For more information on JetBlue's sustainability and ESG strategy, read the 2019-2020 ESG Report which can be found here.

JetBlue's Focus on the Environment

JetBlue depends on natural resources and a healthy environment to keep its business running smoothly. Natural resources are essential for the airline to fly, and tourism relies on having beautiful, natural and preserved destinations for customers to visit. The airline focuses on issues that have the potential to impact its business. Customers, crewmembers and community are key to JetBlue's sustainability strategy. Demand from these groups for responsible service is one of the motivations behind changes that help reduce the airline's carbon output and overall environmental impact. For more on JetBlue's sustainability initiatives, visit www.jetblue.com/sustainability.

airBaltic increases sustainable aviation fuel use by 20% in 2021

airBaltic increased (04-Jan-2022) its use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 20% year-on-year in 2021, in cooperation with Neste and other fuel providers.

The carrier recorded its highest allocation of SAF on a single flight on 28-Dec-2021, using 37% Neste MY SAF and 63% conventional jet fuel to operate from Helsinki to Riga.

The airline intends to further increase its SAF use in 2022 and beyond. CEO Martin Gauss commented: "We believe that SAF will play a crucial role in ensuring the future of the aviation industry and help everyone involved to decrease their impact on the environment". [more - original PR]

Original report: airBaltic Increases the Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

airBaltic Increases the Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Latvian airline airBaltic reports that in 2021 the company has increased the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 20% compared to SAF volumes uplifted in 2020. This has been achieved in cooperation with Neste and other fuel providers on the airBaltic network. The collaboration with Neste started recently when airBaltic fuelled the first flight using an allocation of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: "Our vision sees us becoming a sustainable carrier in the EU aviation market. At airBaltic, we believe that SAF will play a crucial role in ensuring the future of the aviation industry and help everyone involved to decrease their impact on the environment. Our use of SAF will increase further in 2022 and beyond."

On December 28, 2021, Latvian airline airBaltic flight BT302 from Helsinki to Riga was performed with an allocation of 37% of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel and 63% of conventional fossil jet fuel. It was thus far the highest proportion of SAF used by airBaltic in a single flight.

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™, in its neat form and over the life cycle reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%* compared to fossil jet fuel use.

Tuomas Kulola, Head of Sales at Marketing & Services, Neste: "Neste is committed to help the aviation industry to reach its climate goals. We have developed a drop-in solution that is readily available and provides an immediate solution for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of flying. All solutions are needed and every step is important. We're happy to support airBaltic to meet their emission reduction targets."

Environmental management of airBaltic is based on the principle of continuous and systematic improvement. It has identified the key environmental aspects of its operations, their impacts, risks and opportunities involved, and has set targets related to them.

airBaltic currently flies a single type fleet of 32 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which at the moment is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

* Calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology.

Wizz Air CO2 emissions per pax km down 25% in Dec-2021

Wizz Air reported (04-Jan-2022) the following CO2 emissions statistics:

  • Dec-2021:
    • Emissions: 276,639 tonnes, +200.7% year-on-year;
    • Emissions per passenger km: 63.8 grams, -25.4%;
  • Rolling 12 months to 31-Dec-2021:
    • Emissions: 2.25 million tonnes, +22%;
    • Emissions per passenger km: 65.3 grams, -2.6%. [more - original PR]

Original report: December 2021 Traffic and CO2 Emission Statistics

Wizz Air Carried 2,638,000 Passengers

Wizz Air Holdings Plc ("Wizz Air"), the fastest-growing European airline, today announces passenger and CO2 emission statistics for December 2021.

In December 2021, Wizz Air carried 2,638,000 passengers at a load factor of 75.4%. Wizz Air continued to grow its network and improve its customer offering as follows:

  • Wizz Air announced that it has acquired 15 daily slot pairs from Norwegian Air Shuttle at Gatwick Airport. The deal means Wizz Air UK will base four additional Airbus A321neo aircraft at Gatwick, bringing the total number of aircraft based at Gatwick Airport to five from Spring 2022 onwards.
  • Wizz Air UK announced that it will launch new routes from its Gatwick Airport base to 14 new destinations including, Faro, Palma, Larnaca, Catania, Podgorica, Tel Aviv, Chania, Mykonos and Funchal. There will also be new routes from Milan, Rome, Vienna, Bari and Naples to Gatwick Airport, with those flights operated by Wizz Air Hungary. A mixture of year-round and seasonal routes, these new flights will launch from March onwards.
  • Wizz Air continuously operates amongst the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines, with 65.3 grams per passenger/km for the rolling 12 months to 31 December 2021. For the month of December, CO2 emissions in grams per passenger/km were 25.4% lower compared to same month last year, as we witness an improvement in load factors over same time.

Month

Rolling 12 months to:

December

2021

December 2020

Change**

31 December

2021

31 December

2020

Change

Capacity (seats)

3,498,880

1,187,553

194.6%

28,887,576

22,293,106

29.6%

Passengers*

2,638,331

665,722

296.3%

21,722,799

16,676,151

30.3%

Load Factor**

75.4%

56.1%

19.3ppts

75.2%

74.8%

0.4ppts

*booked passengers

**rounded to one decimal place

Wizz Air Monthly CO2 Emission Statistics

Month

Rolling 12 months to:

December

2021

December

2020

Change*

31 December

2021

31 December

2020

Change

CO2 emissions in tonnes

276,639

91,986

200.7%

2,253,911

1,846,851

22.0%

CO2 grams per passenger/km*

63.8

85.6

-25.4%

65.3

67.1

-2.6%

*rounded to one decimal place

Additional Wizz Air Operational Statistics

Month

Rolling 12 months to:

December

2021

December

2020

Change*

31 December

2021

31 December

2020

Change

Available Seat Kilometres (000s)

5,748,195

1,838,811

212.6%

45,971,223

36,235,418

26.9%

Revenue Passenger Kilometres (000s)

4,334,896

1,075,126

303.2%

34,516,012

27,543,701

25.3%

*rounded to one decimal place

New Agartala Airport terminal to run on solar power from Apr-2022

Airports Authority of India, via its official Twitter account, announced (02-Jan-2022) the new passenger terminal at Agartala Singerbhil Airport "will be powered entirely on solar power during day time from Apr-2022". As previously reported by CAPA, the 30,000sqm terminal opened on 04-Jan-2022.

Denmark sets SAF targets for domestic flights for 2025 and 2030

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced (01-Jan-2022) Denmark's Government aims to make domestic flights operating with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available by 2025 and aims for all domestic flights in Denmark to operate with SAF by 2030.

Ms Frederiksen stated: "By 2025, Danes must have the opportunity to fly green on a domestic route", adding: "and by 2030 at the latest, we must be able to fly completely green when we fly domestically in Denmark". [more - original PR - Danish]

Original report: Statsminister Mette Frederiksens nytårstale

God aften.

I dag tager vi fat på et nyt år.

Må det blive lettere end det gamle. Må det blive lyst og fyldt med optimisme og handlekraft.

Vi har igen oplevet en jul og et nytår i coronaens skygge. Stigende smitte. Mange i isolation. Det har været en svær tid. Og er det fortsat.

Men i aften vil jeg ikke primært tale om corona.

Jeg vil tale om vores fælles og vidunderlige Danmark. Et land, der i geografi er så småt. Men i evner, værdier og muligheder så stort.

Der er gamle og nye udfordringer, vi skal have løst. Vores udgangspunkt er godt.

Vi har den højeste vækst i 15 år. Og den laveste arbejdsløshed i 12 år.

Jeg er selv barn af 80'erne. Jeg kan huske, da familiemedlemmer og min fars kolleger sad i køkkenet med nedslåede blikke, da massearbejdsløsheden ramte landet.

I dag er det omvendt. Aldrig før har flere været i arbejde. Dansk økonomi er bomstærk. Nu skal vi forlænge opsvinget.

Og først og fremmest. Skal vi løse vores tids største og vigtigste udfordring: Klimakrisen.

Vi skal kollektivt være lige så utålmodige, som kloden har brug for.

2021 var et år, hvor vi - med brede aftaler - tog afgørende skridt på vejen mod en grøn fremtid.

Danmark er igen det grønne foregangsland, vi ønsker at være. Det skal give os mod på endnu mere.

De stigende temperaturer er ved at ødelægge vores jordklode.

Jeg ved, at mange er bekymrede. Hvordan bliver vores fremtid? Og børnenes? Og børnebørnenes?

Jeg kan love jer én ting. Det politiske flertal, der lige nu er i Danmark. Vi svigter ikke. Vi gør det, der skal til. Det er vores løfte. Det er mit løfte.

I år vil vi træffe beslutning om en ny og ambitiøs afgift på CO2. Den skal sikre, at de virksomheder, der belaster klimaet, selv betaler for deres udledning.

Mange er allerede i gang med at omstille sig. For andre vil det tage længere tid.

Men udgangspunktet er enkelt. Det danske princip om, at de bredeste skuldre skal bære mest. Det skal også gælde i den grønne omstilling: Hvis du udleder CO2 - så skal du betale.

Dét er det mest rimelige.

Når andre lande i verden er for langsomme. Så skal Danmark gå foran. Og hæve barren endnu mere.

Det gælder også flytrafikken. At rejse er at leve, og derfor flyver vi. Men det er samtidig skadeligt for vores klima.

Tænk, hvis Danmark kan være med til at løse det problem.

Vi skal gøre det grønt at flyve.

Derfor vil regeringen sætte et ambitiøst mål: Senest i 2025 skal danskerne have mulighed for at flyve grønt på en indenrigsrute. Og senest i 2030 skal vi kunne flyve helt grønt, når vi flyver indenrigs i Danmark.

Bliver det svært? Ja. Kan det lade sig gøre? Ja, det tror jeg. Vi er allerede på vej. Dygtige forskere og virksomheder arbejder på løsningerne.

Lykkes vi med det. Så vil det være et grønt gennembrud. Ikke bare for Danmark. Men for hele verden.

Hvis der er noget, de seneste år har lært os. I håndteringen af store kriser. Så er det, at vi aldrig må tøve.

Want More Analysis Like This?

CAPA Membership provides access to all news and analysis on the site, along with access to many areas of our comprehensive databases and toolsets.
Find Out More