It’s too hard and too expensive: That’s why Air New Zealand has abandoned its goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 2030. The airline said on Tuesday that a variety of challenges contributed to the decision.
Delayed deliveries of more fuel-efficient aircraft and low prices for alternative jet fuel were the two main factors behind the surprise move.
The move makes the company the first major telecoms operator to back away from such climate targets, the BBC reported. Reports.
The airline added that it was working on new short-term targets, and said if it found a way to achieve them it would remain committed to the industry-wide goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Over recent months, and particularly recent weeks, it has become clear that potential delays to our fleet renewal plans pose further risks to meeting our targets,” Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran said in a statement. announcement End of the plan.
Air New Zealand adopted a target in 2022 to reduce its emissions by around 29 percent by 2030.
This was a much more ambitious target than the 5% reduction target set by the global aviation industry at the same time.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a key part of the aviation industry’s strategy to reduce emissions, but airlines are struggling to buy enough of it.
” [SAF] “It’s more expensive than traditional fuels and there’s a lack of capacity to produce it at scale,” said Ellis Taylor of aviation analytics firm Sirium.
Other airlines listed in the United Nations’ Science-Based Targets initiative database as having “withdrawn” their commitments to near-term emissions targets include United Airlines, Germany’s Lufthansa, Britain’s easyJet, Chile’s LATAM Airlines and Japan Airlines. Associated Press Reports.
