Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 10-Dec-2020
British Airways appoints new head of sustainability
Qantas Airways extends carbon offset programme to indirect booking channel
airBaltic CEO: COVID will eventually become secondary news after the environment
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo launches sustainable aviation fuel programme
Las Vegas Airport installs 67 common use charging stations for GSE
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.
British Airways appoints new head of sustainability
British Airways appointed (07-Dec-2020) Carrie Harris as new head of sustainability. Ms Harris most recently served as group sustainability manager at IAG.
British Airways said Ms Harris' appointment reflects the increasing importance of sustainability for the airline.
British Airways director of external communications and sustainability Louise Evans said "Sustainability is absolutely fundamental to British Airways' future strategy...This is a crucial role in our organisation". [more - original PR]
Original report: British Airways Appoints New Head Of Sustainability, Reinforcing Its Long-term Commitment To The Environment, Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing And Community Investment
British Airways has announced the appointment of Carrie Harris as its new Head of Sustainability, reflecting the increasing importance of sustainability for the airline.
Harris joins British Airways from the airline's parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), where she has been Group Sustainability Manager for the past five years. She is a Chartered Environmentalist, Fellow of IEMA (the accreditation body for sustainability professionals), registered environmental auditor and holds two Master's degrees in Environmental Science and Management.
In her role at British Airways, reporting to Louise Evans, Director of External Communications & Sustainability, Harris will be responsible for a team of eight who work on the airline's strategy for environment, diversity, inclusion & wellbeing, and community investment.
Last year Harris helped launch IAG's Flightpath Net Zero, committing the Group to achieving net zero by 2050, a global first for an airline group and a landmark climate strategy for the aviation sector. During her time at IAG she has successfully embedded sustainability into the Group's business activity and financial planning processes. Her work saw her win IAG the prestigious CDP A-list for investor rankings and most improved sustainability report for FTSE 100 and IBEX companies.
Announcing the appointment, Louise Evans, British Airways' Director of External Communications & Sustainability said:
"Sustainability is absolutely fundamental to British Airways' future strategy and I am delighted to welcome Carrie to British Airways as Head of Sustainability. This is a crucial role in our organisation, and I know Carrie's expertise, as well as her ability to deliver, will have a hugely positive impact on our sustainability agenda."
Carrie Harris, British Airways' Head of Sustainability said:
"We know our customers, colleagues and investors want to see sustainability at the heart of everything we do at British Airways, so this is an incredible opportunity for me to build on the great work that is already well underway.
"As we head into 2021, we'll be taking a fresh look at all we do to ensure sustainability is embedded in our culture, our operation and our customers' experience; from technological solutions such as zero emissions hydrogen aircraft and sustainable aviation fuels for the medium to long-term, to operational efficiency and carbon offset and removal projects in the short-term. We'll also be focused on improving diversity, inclusion and wellbeing within the organisation and ensuring we contribute meaningfully to the communities where we operate in the UK and around the world."
Later this week British Airways is expected to retire the final 747 aircraft in its fleet, four years earlier than originally planned. The aircraft are being replaced by more modern models such as the A350 and 787 which are between 25 - 40% more fuel efficient.
Qantas Airways extends carbon offset programme to indirect booking channel
Qantas Airways announced (07-Dec-2020) it is offering customers the ability to purchase carbon offsets when booking services, with the 'Fly Carbon Neutral' feature available through its NDC-enabled Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP) and available to all travel agents making bookings using the platform.
Qantas executive manager sales and distribution Igor Kwiatkowski stated: "This is the first of a range of new types of offers we'll be making available to agents as we progress our NDC program over the coming months all designed to more closely align the functionality of indirect agent channels with qantas.com" [more - original PR]
Original report: QANTAS EXTENDS CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM TO INDIRECT BOOKING CHANNEL
Qantas has today announced a significant extension to its carbon offset program, enabling travel agents to help their customers fly carbon neutral.
The national carrier is the first airline to offer customers the ability to purchase carbon offsets when booking flights in the indirect channel, with the feature made possible through the NDC-enabled Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP).
The ability to Fly Carbon Neutral has traditionally only been available to customers who 'Tick-the-Box' when booking flights directly via qantas.com. This enhancement to the QDP will see Qantas support more conservation and environmental projects in Australia and around the world.
Over the years these projects have included protecting the Great Barrier Reef and working with Indigenous communities to reduce wildfires in Western Australia.
Qantas Frequent Flyer members and Qantas Business Rewards customers can earn 10 Qantas Points for every dollar spent offsetting their emissions, one of the highest standard earn rates across the program.
All Travel Agents who are making bookings using the content from the Qantas Distribution Platform will have access to the Fly Carbon Neutral feature. To find out how to connect to the QDP, visit Qantas Agency Connect or speak with your technology partner.
Comments - to be attributed to Qantas Executive Manager Sales & Distribution, Igor Kwiatkowski
"Many of our customers have told us how important it is for them to be able to offset their flight, and until now, those who booked through a travel agent weren't able to do so conveniently.
"As we carry Australians to their destinations, we're very conscious of working to minimise the impact we have on the environment. This development is part of that sustainability strategy, while also delivering on our commitment to better support the industry in selling and servicing their bookings with Qantas.
"Through our Fly Carbon Neutral program, we have been offsetting carbon emissions for more than a decade. We're confident we'll continue to build on this with the support of our agency partners.
"This is the first of a range of new types of offers we'll be making available to agents as we progress our NDC program over the coming months all designed to more closely align the functionality of indirect agent channels with qantas.com."
About Fly Carbon Neutral
The Qantas Group is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and was the second airline group in the world to announce it would commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Qantas currently operates one of the largest carbon offset programs in the aviation industry, with approximately 10 per cent of customers booking flights on qantas.com choosing to offset their flights through our Fly Carbon Neutral program.
Since 2007, Qantas has also offset its own ground and corporate travel emissions through the program.
airBaltic CEO: COVID will eventually become secondary news after the environment
airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss, speaking at CAPA Live December 2020, stated (09-Dec-2020) "There will be the day when COVID will be secondary news after the environment".
Mr Gauss said airBaltic is trying to capture all these elements so that it is ready when travel and the environmental focus returns.
Mr Gauss considers environment will be a bigger topic than it was prior to COVID-19.
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo launches sustainable aviation fuel programme
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo launched (08-Dec-2020) a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme, enabling freight forwarders and shippers to participate in reducing CO2 emissions.
The programme enables shippers and forwarders to operate flights with a percentage of SAF through a book-and-claim system. Customers may determine their level of participation.
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo hopes the programme will help to pioneer the use of SAF and scale up the market for SAF. The carrier stated the programme is the first of its kind for the airfreight industry.
Air France-KLM cargo EVP and MD of Martinair EVP Adriaan den Heijer stated: "Our commitment to reducing CO₂ emissions is one of the cornerstones of our cargo strategy. The launch of a SAF programme for airfreight is an important step in our ambitious sustainability roadmap for the coming years". [more - original PR]
Original report: Air France KLM Martinair Cargo Launches World's First SAF Programme for the Airfreight Industry
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has launched the world's first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme for the airfreight industry, enabling freight forwarders and shippers to participate in reducing CO₂ emissions of the aviation sector. By investing in the Cargo SAF Programme, customers will not only help pioneer the use of SAF in our industry, but will also scale up the SAF market, contributing to a cleaner future for air transport.
"Our commitment to reducing CO₂ emissions is one of the cornerstones of our cargo strategy. The launch of a SAF programme for airfreight is an important step in our ambitious sustainability roadmap for the coming years. I invite all our customers to join us in creating a more sustainable cargo future." said Adriaan den Heijer, EVP of Air France-KLM Cargo & Managing Director of Martinair.
SAF - a key instrument in reducing CO₂ emissions
The first step towards a carbon-free future is carbon-neutral growth in our industry, which implies there should be no increase in CO₂ emissions despite traffic growth. Investing in SAF is a necessary step in this process and one of the primary instruments in reducing CO₂ emissions. For years, Air France and KLM have led the way in terms of fuel efficiency and seeking alternative fuel solutions. KLM operated the world's first commercial flight using SAF on 29 June 2011, with a flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Air France the same year operated its first flight from Toulouse to Paris in the framework of Paris Air Show-Le Bourget. Shortly thereafter, we began offering our corporate customers the option of a more sustainable business travel by supporting innovative developments in SAF.
SAF is still not widely available. That is why we have set up this programme for shippers and forwarders, to stimulate and enlarge the market for SAF. Your investment will help to further develop this market and also to put SAF higher on the agenda of all stakeholders. This new programme will enable us to team up with shippers and forwarders who share our commitment to sustainability, making SAF more widely available at a more reasonable price, competing with standard jet fuel.
Customers determine level of engagement
This Cargo SAF Programme enables shippers and forwarders to operate flights with a percentage of SAF*. Customers determine their own level of engagement and we ensure that their entire investment is used for sourcing SAF. When contributing to the use of SAF, our customers receive a third-party audited report, justifying the purchased volume of SAF in relation to traffic and indicating the reduction in CO₂ emissions achieved. By joining the Cargo SAF Programme, our customers not only participate to CO₂ emissions reduction, but also confirm their commitment to leading the industry towards a more sustainable future. Only with the support of all industry stakeholders can we successfully develop a more viable market for SAF.
*via a book and claim system
Las Vegas Airport installs 67 common use charging stations for GSE
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, via its official Twitter account, announced (05-Dec-2020) it installed 67 common use charging stations to power electric ground support equipment (GSE) at the airport. To date, carriers at the airport have swapped out 131 diesel powered GSE units for electric equipment.