SAS 'polar route flight' records almost 20% CO2 reduction per passenger

SAS announced (25-Nov-2024) its recent "polar route flight" from Copenhagen to Los Angeles, part of SkyTeam's The Aviation Challenge, achieved a nearly 20% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger. Key measures included balancing passenger and cargo loads to minimise fuel burn, real time collaboration with air traffic control to optimise the flight path and cruising altitude, and ground efficiency improvements that reduced taxiing fuel consumption by over 100kg. The flight also used 32 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), accounting for 40% of its total fuel. SAS noted challenges exist in scaling the practices across all flights, with restrictions on air traffic paths, limited SAF availability and varying operational conditions limiting the consistent implementation of these methods. [more - original PR]