(Photo Credit: @AFnewsroom on Twitter)Air France released plans to voluntarily offset 100% of carbon dioxide emissions for all domestic flights starting January 1, 2020. The move comes as the airline industry faces mounting public pressure to address carbon emissions.
The carbon offsets for flights in mainland France will come from Air France’s participation in projects certified by recognized organizations, according to the airline. In addition, CEO Anne Rigail announced a 2030 goal of cutting carbon emissions by 50% per passenger per kilometer compared to 2005 levels. That equals less than 3 liters of fuel consumption per passenger per kilometer.
“We must step up the transition to a more sustainable form of air transport,” Rigail said. “Our ambition is to be a driving force for action and innovation in the creation of a sustainable aviation sector.”
The no-fly movement has picked up, Janina Conboye and Leslie Hook reported in the Los Angeles Times. They reference the spread of “flight-shame,” called flygskam in Swedish, and environmental activists including 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who are urging the public to stop flying.
“A growing body of research shows that the climate impact of airplanes is about twice as much as their carbon dioxide emissions alone would suggest — closer to 5% of human-caused warming,” the journalists wrote.
Especially in Europe, airline executives are feeling consumer pressure to cut emissions. Potential solutions being weighed include biofuels from renewable sources, electric aircraft, hybrid battery-fuel designs, improving aircraft fuel efficiency, and flying full planes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Air France published a report this year detailing how the airline has been working to address its own environmental footprint. In 2018, the airline saw a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger compared to 2011 for the Air France group. Between 2005 and 2018, the group says there was a 78% reduction in net CO2 despite increasing air traffic.
Investing in new aircraft that consume 20% less fuel than older aircraft of a similar size has been one part of Air France’s strategy. Reducing onboard weight to improve operational efficiency and optimizing flight routes also contributed to lower emissions.
Like several other airlines, Air France KLM supports the use of sustainable alternative fuels, but acknowledges the challenge in moving from a research and development stage to industrial production. “Two major factors still need to be resolved: securing a sustainable biomass supply and economic viability,” the airline’s report noted.
