MADRID – International Airline Group (IAG), the parent company of Iberia, Vueling, Air Lingus and British Airways, among others, aims to operate 10% of all flights with sustainable fuel by 2030.
By then, the group’s airlines will also be flying with more efficient aircrafts, such as Airbus A320neo and A350. The aim is to reduce the total CO2 emissions. IAG calculates that in order to achieve this goal, more than one million tons of sustainable fuel must be purchased per year. This translates into a reduction of 2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis.
Recycled household waste for jet fuel
In addition, the group announced it will invest $400million in the development of sustainable fuels for the next 20 years. The company has entered into a partnership with LanzaJet and Velocys. This includes Europe’s first UK facility to recycle household waste for conversion to jet fuel. It will be operational in 2025.
Government support critical
“Government support is critical to achieving this goal by attracting investment to build sustainable aviation fuel power plants that provide sufficient supply for the aviation industry, creating high-quality green jobs and economic growth on a global scale,” added Luis Gallego Martín, chairman of the IAG board.
Towards a sustainable future
IAG has another milestone in mind for 2050. The company wants to involve the entire supply chain in the goal of reducing net CO2 emissions to zero. Gallego Martín: “The transition to a low-carbon business model is clearly a challenge, but despite the current pandemic, we remain steadfast on our climate commitments.”
The biggest contribution to achieving zero emissions by 2050 comes from flying more efficient aircrafts, such as the aforementioned Airbus A320neo and A350. These are used for short/medium and long haul flights respectively. These will be between 15% and 25% more efficient than other models of comparable capacity.
Iberia reduced emissions per passenger by 15% of total pollutant emissions between 2010 and 2019. In addition to these positive results, IAG’s goal is to achieve a reduction of another 5% by 2025.
IAG
IAG operates the airlines Iberia, Vueling, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Level and is a company registered in Spain with shares listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Madrid Stock Exchange. The head office is at London Heathrow Airport (UK).
