Sustainability Improvements Fail to Match Skyrocketing Air Travel Growth, According to OAG

Growth in aircraft seats and ASKs outpace carbon offsetting, biofuel investments and emission reductions

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OAG, the world’s leading provider of travel data and insight, released a new report today – How Green is Your Airline? – that explores how the aviation industry is responding to growing momentum for sustainable and environmentally-friendly air travel.

“Despite increased traveler interest in sustainability, the nature of the market makes driving real impact complex and difficult,” said John Grant, senior analyst with OAG. “Since 2000, the number of aircraft seats has grown at an average annual rate of 3.6 percent while available seat kilometers have increased 4.6 percent. Unfortunately, the positive changes made by airlines and regulators are being outweighed by increases to passenger growth.”

OAG’s report provides an in-depth look at:

• Where current environmental measures, such as carbon offsetting, are falling short
• The complexities of reducing carbon impact in travel
• Market demand for sustainability and environmental data transparency
• Airlines, climate neutrality claims and greenwashing

OAG found that industry targets, like the ones published by IATA in 2009, don’t account for continued surges in air travel, creating a discrepancy between actual emissions and climate targets. While airlines are pushing aggressive climate neutrality goals, many of the tactics they are deploying – such as giving travelers a chance to pay to offset carbon emissions – are not working.

“Sustainable air travel is a very complex issue with no easy answers. Consumers aren’t going to stop flying, despite their interest in sustainability,” said Grant. “Current tools, such as Carbon Calculators, don’t provide enough information for travelers to make educated decisions. Larger technological advancement is needed to create new, industry-wide standards that clearly show which airlines and flights are greener than others, allowing consumers to research, evaluate and choose the most sustainable option.”

For more information, download the report: How Green is Your Airline?

About OAG

OAG is a leading global travel data provider, that has been powering the growth and innovation of the air travel ecosystem since 1929.

Headquartered in the UK, OAG has global operations in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China.

For more information, visit: www.oag.com and follow us on Twitter @OAG Aviation.