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Wednesday 9 April 2008
We all share one world - and one world Ò member airlines are all determined to do everything they can to care for that world.
Each has its own comprehensive programme for minimising its impact on the environment - programmes which are widely recognised as being among the most responsible and progressive in the industry.
As a cornerstone of this commitment, the alliance's member airline are in the midst of re-equipping their fleets with a total of some 1,200 new aircraft that are more fuel efficient, produce less greenhouse gases and are quieter - an investment worth almost US$130 billion.
Since the year 2000, they have taken delivery of more than 590 of these more environmentally friendly aircraft, worth in excess of US$50 billion, with outstanding orders for another 580 for delivery in the coming years, worth more than US$75 billion.
They are also all active participants and supporters of environmental activities co-ordinated by the international industry bodies - globally by IATA (the International Air Transport Association) and regionally by the Association of European Airlines, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, the USA 's Air Transport Association and the counterparts elsewhere.
While their efforts are focused on these three levels, one world too makes its own contribution to each of their environmental efforts. For instance, one world in April 2005 became the first global airline grouping to enable passengers to connect between flights operated by any member airline using electronic tickets only - eradicating each year millions of traditional paper tickets which were thrown away after use.
Also, one world airlines are individually and collectively working with authorities responsible for airports and air traffic control (ATC) to address the single largest cause of fuel wastage in the industry - inefficient management of air traffic space.
Airlines connect people, places and cultures and help keep commerce in business. We're proud of that.
But we recognise that the freedom air travel brings has an impact. That is why one world airlines are leading the industry in minimising the environmental effects of air travel.
This paper outlines some of the key steps each of them are taking. For more information, follow the links to the appropriate sections of their websites.
The global perspectiveThe airline industry as a whole generates less than 2 per cent of the world's total CO 2 emissions - less than the world's cattle and a sixth of the CO 2 output generated by road transport.
Today's passenger aircraft are typically 70 per cent more fuel efficient than those of 40 years ago, and 20 per cent better than those of just ten years ago.
Latest models - like the Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s ordered by various one world member airlines - burn three litres per 100 kilometres ( 78.5 miles per gallon) per passenger. This is helping make aviation one of the more fuel efficient forms of transport available.
Today's aircraft are typically 50 per cent quieter than those of ten years ago and some 20 decibels quieter than those of 30 years ago. The "noise footprint" of a typical new jetliner is 15 per cent smaller than the aircraft they replace.
Air transport delivers mankind and the world with many benefits. According to IATA (International Air Transport Association), the total economic impact of air transport on gross world output is at least US$1,360 billion. It provides 28 million jobs worldwide, rising to 31 million by 2010.
An industry responsible for 2 per cent of the world's CO 2 emissions generates 8 per cent of world economic activity.
Now the world's airlines are working towards the target, set by IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani at the association's 2007 annual summit, of zero CO 2 emissions within 50 years.
IATA's 240 member airlines have agreed a four-pillar strategy on climate change:
• Invest in new technology
• Build and use efficient infrastructure
• Operate aircraft effectively
• Consider positive economic measures while working with governments to define an emissions trading scheme that is fair, global and voluntary.
• For more information on the global airline industry's environmental position, see www.iata.org/whatwedo/environment/
American Airlines
As part of its commitment, American Airlines voluntarily reports on the greenhouse gas emissions from its aircraft, ground vehicles, maintenance activities, buildings and purchased electricity and steam, and details what the group is doing to reduce those emissions. It also takes every possible step to conserve water, recycle materials and reduce hazardous waste and aircraft noise.
In the past four years alone, the airline has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its aircraft by 5 per cent, while increasing passenger and freight carryings by 22 per cent. It has set itself a goal of a further 20 per cent increase in efficiency by 2020.
This is being achieved not just by modernising its fleet, but also by adopting a whole range of other initiatives and practices. For example:
• Rather than painting the entire fuselage of its aircraft, American Airlines' signature red, white and blue stripes are painted on the bare metal aircraft. This reduces aircraft weight and therefore fuel burn - by almost 12 million gallons a year, cutting emissions by 114,000 metric tons less of CO2.
• Installing wing tip extensions on aircraft, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its Boeing 757s by some 2,000 metric tons per aircraft per year. It is equipping all 124 of its 757s with wingtips, all 77 of its Boeing 737-800s and is the first airline to install them on Boeing 767-300ERs, of which it has 58.
• Instituting a "Fuel Smart" programme, inviting recommendations from employees on how to reduce fuel burn. Ideas implemented, including using tractors rather than aircraft engines to move aircraft more on the ground, have so far saved 110 million gallons a year, cutting CO 2 emissions by 478,000 metric tons.
Overall, American Airlines itself operated a total of 687 aircraft at the beginning of 2007, with an average age of 14 years. Its American Eagle regional affiliate operated another 306 aircraft, with an average age of seven years.
While the group has taken delivery of just two new aircraft in the past five years, it has withdrawn 50 older ones from service and has outstanding orders for a further 55 new, more fuel-efficient and therefore environmentally friendly aircraft, worth US$5.1 billion at list prices, including 48 Boeing 737-800s and seven Boeing 777s for delivery between 2009 and 2016. American is currently assessing other potential aircraft orders as well.
New aircraft are not only more fuel efficient - but they are quieter too. All of American's aircraft meet current noise and emission standards.
Recycling has become a big focus for American Airlines - resulting in 252 tons of paper, plastic and aluminum being recycled at its headquarters alone in 2006.
Among steps to save water, the airline has cut usage at its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance base by up to 36 per cent through steps like expanding its reverse osmosis system and upgrading automation control systems. This led to the company becoming the first airline to win the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Governor's Award for outstanding efforts in environmental protection and pollution prevention.
• For the American Airlines group's latest environmental report, released in August 2007, see www.aa.com/content/images/amrcorp/amrerr.pdf .
British Airways
British Airways was the first airline worldwide to introduce a voluntary passenger carbon offsetting scheme, enabling customers to choose to pay to "offset" the CO 2 generated by their flight. It uses United Nations certified emissions reductions to help finance clean energy projects in developing countries.
Customers offsetting their flight emissions will be supporting projects like a new wind farm in China 's Ningxia province and run-of-the-river hydro electric plants in the Santa Catarina region of Brazil and Gansu province, China .
It is the only airline in the world to have taken part in a carbon-trading scheme and is actively campaigning for carbon-trading to be introduced on an industry basis. As a direct result of its efforts, the European Union carbon-trading scheme will include aviation from 2011.
British Airways was also the first airline worldwide to produce an environmental report, back in 1992, and has done so annually since. This has included measuring and reporting on its global fuel and CO 2 emissions, calculating emissions from aircraft and ground vehicles and assessing energy consumption through its buildings.
It is also supporting work led by Cambridge University aimed at establishing robust scientific understanding of the non- CO 2 effects of aviation by 2012.
The airline has improved fuel efficiency by 28 per cent since 1990 - despite its passenger and cargo carryings increasing by 94 per cent. The airline is aiming for a further 25 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency by 2025.
This is being achieved through a range of measures - upgrading its fleet with US$10 billion worth of new, more fuel efficient aircraft, flying shorter routes, refining landing and take-off procedures, fitting new lightweight seats and so on.
At the start of 2008, British Airways operated a total of 246 aircraft, with an average age of 11.5 years. Since the year 2000, it has taken delivery of 99 new and leased aircraft, worth US$7.6 billion, and retired 122 older models from service.
It had outstanding orders for almost 60 more new aircraft, including 12 Airbus A380s, 24 Boeing 787s and 22 more Airbus A320s, worth almost US$10 billion, to replace current older types and provide for growth.
These new aircraft also have a major benefit in reducing noise impact. They are not just quieter, but also have newer technology incorporated allowing noise impacts to be managed to a much greater extent than has been previously possible.
British Airways has been working nationally with the UK government and internationally with ICAO (United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization) to represent better aircraft operations in local air quality modeling studies. The UK has now noted that the characterisation of emissions from aircraft "are more certain than for road transport or airside sources".
The airline has also carried out monitoring of local air quality in a ground-breaking study at a number of points at its London Heathrow base. It was the first time any such study had extended beyond the airport boundaries into local communities around the airport.
The airline's environmental programme is not just focused on flying. It is currently taking delivery of a new fleet of 38 passenger buses at its London Heathrow hub - which will be "greenest" buses used by any airline at the airport.
It is also working hard to reduce the impact of waste it generates. It aims to be recycling 50 per cent of its managed waste and sending none to landfill sites by 2010. It has reduced the amount of waste from its main London hubs by 10 per cent in the past year along.
Among the many green initiatives the airline has taken:
• It only uses recycled paper in its printers and photocopiers in its UK offices and all waste paper is, in turn, recycled.
• Blankets used in-flight are donated to an elephant orphanage in Kenya .
• Almost 500 laptop and desktop computers from offices were refurbished and donated to educational projects in Pakistan and Kenya in 2005-06 alone.
• Mobile phones are sold to developing markets at affordable prices, with funds raised donated to the Flora and Fauna International charity for nature conservation.
• Plastic cups are recycled to make items including pencils and rulers.
British Airways' Chief Executive Willie Walsh is the only airline industry representative on the Confederation of British Industry climate change group, and Chairman Martin Broughton is a member of the Gleneagles Dialogue Steering Board which advises governments around the world on climate change policies.
• For more information on British Airways' environmental position, see www.britishairways.com/travel/csr-corporate-responsibility/public/en_gb
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific and its Dragonair sister airline, which is now also part of one world, were the first airlines in Asia to launch a voluntary carbon offset scheme for their passengers, launched in December 2007. They are also the first airlines in the world to offer customers the option of using cash or frequent flyer miles to pay for their offsets.
The two airlines already offset the carbon emissions associated with staff travelling on business, paying almost HK$1 million (US$130,000) in 2006. To highlight the extension of their "FLY greener " scheme to commercial passengers, both Cathay Pacific and Dragonair matched the contributions dollar for dollar for the first three months of the programme.
To offset their travel, passengers can access the "FLY greener " site at the Cathay Pacific or Dragonair websites and use the online calculator to work how much it will cost to offset their emissions based on the distance of their flight and the class of travel.
The offsets will initially be sourced from a wind farm project in Shanghai - one of the first to employ high-capacity turbines in Mainland China . The wind farm's production of clean energy reduces the demand for coal-fired power stations in the region and helps to reduce pollution. The power generated by the turbines at this wind farm is fed into the Shanghai power grid.
Cathay Pacific has improved its fuel efficiency by 20 per cent relative to its passenger traffic since it began measuring its performance consistently in 1998, its latest Corporate Social Responsibility Report states.
This is a result not just of introducing new aircraft, but also through initiatives such as aircraft weight reduction, extensive maintenance of its existing fleet and in assisting in the negotiation of more direct and efficient flight routes.
The airline's staff came up with more than 200 ideas in 2006 alone on how to trim the overall weight of aircraft, thereby reducing fuel burn, with suggestions such as using lighter, more durable cargo containers.
Cathay Pacific has a fleet of 115 a ircraft (as at mid March 2008), with an average age of 11 years. Since 2000, it has taken delivery of 54 new, more efficient aircraft, worth US$11.5 billion. It has outstanding orders for another 49 of the latest types, worth another US$13 billion, including 23 Boeing 777-300ERs, two Boeing 747-400BCFs, six Boeing 747-400ERFs, 10 Boeing 747-8Fs and eight Airbus A330-300s.
Its wholly owned subsidiary Dragonair, which is an affiliate member of one world, operates a fleet of 39 aircraft, with one Boeing 747-400BCF and two Airbus A330-300s on order.
Its latest passenger aircraft type, the Boeing 777-300ER, which entered service in October 2007, uses a new type of paint that provides a smoother finish, reducing aerodynamic drag resulting in less fuel burn. The airline's freighters fly mostly in bare metal, saving the weight of paint.
It will also begin a phased retirement of its older, less fuel-efficient Boeing 747F "Classic" freighters in 2008.
Cathay Pacific monitors emissions from its headquarters offices and from its ground vehicles, and takes fuel efficiency and emissions as key considerations in ground vehicle replacement.
To help reduce the waste it generates, in 2006 it started recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles from flights into its Hong Kong hub, extending this more recently to include plastic cups.
To support innovation, Cathay Pacific uses solar power to heat dishwashing water and has an experimental wind turbine generating electricity for office lighting.
• For Cathay Pacific's latest Corporate Social Responsibility Report, see http://downloads.cathaypacific.com/cx/press/CSRreport_en2006.pdf
Finnair
Finnair has set as its goal to become the airline of choice for quality and environmentally conscious passengers in intercontinental travel in the northern hemisphere.
It takes environmental matters into consideration in everything it does with its modern, low-emission fleet and the use of the shortest intercontinental routes the cornerstones of its eco-efficient operations.
It offers the most direct flights between Europe and Asia, thanks to the geographical position of its Helsinki home.
Finnair has one the most modern fleets in Europe , with its aircraft today consuming on average 25 per cent less fuel than in 1999.
As at January 2008, it operated 64 aircraft, with an average age of just 5.8 years. Since the year 2000, it has taken delivery of 46 new, more efficient aircraft, worth US$1.8 billion, and retired 40 older types. It currently has outstanding orders for 25 more aircraft, worth another US$2 billion.
It retired the last of its Boeing MD80 fleet in summer 2006, replaced with Embraer 170s and 190s, and is now substituting it MD11s with Airbus A330s, which release 20 per cent less emissions. Its new Airbus A350XWBs will be introduced from 2014, reducing emissions by a third.
Like other one world members, Finnair has a focus on recycling, and collects aluminium, glass and some plastics on all flights.
• For more information on Finnair's environmental programme, including its latest Environmental Report, see www.finnairgroup.com/group/group_10_3.html
Iberia
Iberia was in 2007, for the third year running, one of only three airlines worldwide listed in the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index, in recognition of its business, social, and environmental practices.
The Spanish airline's fleet, at the start of 2008, comprised 136 aircraft, with an average age of 7.7 years - with 85 of them new, more efficient types delivered since the year 2000, worth a total of US$7 billion . As they have arrived, Iberia has withdrawn 122 older, less efficient models from service.
By the end of 2008, it will take delivery of five more new aircraft - all A319s - worth another US$450 million . Iberia began to retire its oldest remaining types in its fleet, its Boeing MD87s and MD88s, in 2007. Within two years, they will all have been replaced by these more efficient Airbus A320 types.
In 2006 alone, the airline increased fuel efficiency by 8 per cent, reducing CO 2 emissions by 4 per cent, despite offering 3.4 per cent more capacity. This has been achieved through programmes to optimise flying altitudes and speeds at the different stages of each flight, and reducing average aircraft weight.
Advances in the capabilities of flight simulators has also enabled it to halve the amount of training time spent by pilots actually in the air, reducing the airline's CO 2 emissions by up to 5 per cent.
Among the steps it has taken to reduce its environmental footprint on the ground, it has replaced petrol and diesel-powered vehicles at its Madrid hub with those using electricity.
• For more information on Iberia 's social commitment programmes, see grupo.iberia.com/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.52b643feb65c52c239bf93ead21061ca/
Japan Airlines
For more than 15 years, Japan Airlines (JAL) has been implementing a variety of measures designed to reduce and offset the impact its business activities have on the environment - from the introduction of more fuel efficient aircraft to the fitting of specially developed air-sampling equipment on its aircraft to help scientists better understand the causes and effects of global warming.
JAL aims to reduce its environmental footprint by cut ting fuel consumption and the CO 2 emissions of its fleet by 20 per cent in the 20 years to 2010 . It has already achieved a 15 per cent reduction since 1990.
By the end of March 2008, the group's fleet will total 272 aircraft - of which 78 have been delivered in the past five years, worth more than US$10.5 billion at list prices. As it has added these more efficient aircraft, it has withdrawn around 90 older models, including the last of its Airbus A300Bs and Boeing MD87s.
The group will then have outstanding orders for more than 86 new aircraft, worth around US$11.0 billion at list prices. It will begin delivery of ten Embraer 170s next year and 35 Boeing 787s in the coming years, as it retires more older aircraft, including the last of its 747 Classics and MD81s and the first of its older 767s and 747-400s by 2010.
This will reduce the average age of its fleet from 12 years in its 2005 financial year, to just 10 years five years later.
JAL estimates that 1 kg ( 2.2 lb ) trimmed from the weight of each aircraft would reduce CO 2 emissions across its fleet by 76 tons a year. Steps taken in line with this include:
• Introducing porcelain crockery that is 20 per cent lighter in First and Business Class
• Shaving 2 gm off the weight of each spoon.
• Reducing the average weight of cargo containers by 26 kg a unit, by using lighter materials.
It is making more use of flight simulators, to reduce actual flight training hours. It has also adopted more stringent procedures for loading cargo to ensure the aircraft's centre of gravity is at the optimum position to reduce wind drag and is operating more of its freighters in bare metal, saving the weight of paint.
On the ground, JAL is supporting the Japanese government's energy-saving Team Minus 6% initiative, reducing levels of office heating in winter and cooling in summer, cutting CO 2 emissions by more than 75 tonnes a year.
JAL also recycles everything it can - from aluminum cans and paper through to old uniforms and polythene sheets - and adopts a green procurement policy whenever possible, for instance only now buying wooden chopsticks made from sustainable timber.
JAL plays in part in caring for the world in other ways too. Many of its maintenance, property and hotel activities have gained ISO environmental accreditation.
The airline plays its role in wider ecological activities, too.
As forests mitigate global warming by absorbing CO 2 emitted by burning fossil fuels, JAL has been supporting the Boreal Forest Fire Control Initiative and other similar projects. With the aim of preventing or containing wild fires through early detection, information gathering and analysis, JAL's pilots flying over Siberia , Alaska and Indonesia have been reporting any fire outbreaks they spot, with more than 500 blazes reported in the past five years.
Since 1993, JAL has also been participating in a global warming observation project to monitor greenhouse gases in the upper atmosphere using specially fitted air sample collection and measuring equipment. The programme now involves five JAL aircraft measuring the composition of the upper atmosphere on international routes. The data collected using JAL aircraft is helping scientists better understand the causes and effects of global warming.
• For more information on JAL's environmental programmes, see www.jal.com/en/environment/
LAN
LAN's commitment to respect and care for the environment is reflected in its extensive fleet re-equipment programme .
Since the year 2000, it has taken delivery of nearly 60 new aircraft, worth US$5.5 billion.
It has completely modernized its shorthaul fleet, with 38 new Airbus A320 family types, worth some US$2.3 billion. They are between 9 and 15 per cent more fuel efficient than the Boeing 737-200s they replaced, reducing CO 2 emissions by around 10 per cent. The last of these older Boeing 737-200s will be retired from its fleet in the first half of 2008.
Its longhaul fleet has also been modernized this decade, with 16 Boeing 767s - both passenger and cargo versions - and five Airbus A340s.
LAN is now targeting a 15 per cent reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2011, as it embarks on the second phase of its fleet renovation and growth plan, adding another 43 shorthaul and longhaul aircraft worth around US$3.5 billion
The third phase of its re-equipment programme takes off in 2011 with the delivery during the following five years of 32 new longhaul Boeing 787, worth US$5.5 billion. These Dreamliners reduce emissions by 12 per cent against the aircraft they will replace.
Meantime, the airline is doing everything it can to reduce fuel burn by, and emissions from its existing fleet. One of the biggest single savings is from fitting wingtip extensions to its Boeing 767-300s, reducing CO 2 emissions by almost 5 per cent.
The airline is taking lots of other small steps too to save fuel burn. Since 2005, it has introduced several other green initiatives to reduce fuel consumption, trimming CO 2 emissions by 0.5 per cent in the first year and by 1.2 per cent in 2006. Ensuring that its aircraft are as clean as possible, for instance, reduces their drag in-flight and ensures their engines operate at optimum performance levels. Taxiing its aircraft on the ground using just one engine, rather than the usual two, is reducing CO 2 emissions by an estimated 6,000 tonnes a year.
It also takes every possible opportunity to trim flight times by using the most efficient routings and aircraft weights, after calculating that if it could shave just one minute from every flight it would reduce CO 2 emissions by 23,000 tonnes a year and every 100 kg taken off its aircraft would cut CO 2 by a further 2,600 tonnes a year.
All this, and its new shorthaul aircraft, will help the airline cut its greenhouse emissions by 15 per cent by 2011 overall in little more than a decade.
Not only are they more fuel efficient, thereby emitting much less CO 2, but these new aircraft are also significantly quieter than the models they are replacing.
Likewise, new warehouses have been built for the treatment of fluids produced by the operations in order to protect the environment and the workers' health.
Among the steps the airline is taking to dispose of waste as responsibly as possible, it has recently opened a new warehouse at its Santiago base specifically to handle waste liquids from its operations.
LAN recycles as much as it can. In the past year alone, it has donated some 400 computers to charities and voluntary organizations in its Chile home country. In its offices, it has programmes to encourage employees to reduce the amount of paper they use, with waste paper collected and recycled.
Even better than recycling is not using items at all - and that is what the group's paperless policy is aimed at achieving. Like other one world airlines, it is focused on removing all paper tickets from its operation, with electronic tickets now used by 95 per cent of its customers.
Malév Hungarian Airlines
Malév is another one world airline that has been re-equipping with latest aircraft types in recent years, so today it operates one of the most modern fleets in Europe .
At the start of 2008, the group operated a total of 29 aircraft, with an average age of just 6 years. Twenty two of them were delivered in the past five years alone - including 18 of the newest more efficient Boeing 737 Next Generation models, worth US$730 million, replacing all 15 of its original versions of the twinjet and the delivery of its fleet of four Canadair CRJ200 regional jets.
Like Japan Airlines, Malév too has been active in gaining international ISO accreditation for its environmental approaches in many areas of its business, and has an extensive recycling programme for glass, metals, paper and various other items.
In late 2006, it invested US$4 million in improved safeguards to prevent contamination of rainwater run-off around its fuel storage facility at its Budapest Ferihegy airport hub.
Qantas
Qantas in September 2007 became the second one world airline to enable passengers to offset the carbon emissions caused by their flight - and marked the launch of the scheme by paying itself to offset the carbon emissions of every one of its international and domestic flights on the day the scheme came into effect.
Passengers can elect to offset their share of emissions from their Qantas flights by making a small contribution through qantas.com, using an on-line calculator, with all contributions going towards abatement programmes approved by Australia-based Greenhouse Friendly Program, such as energy efficiency measures, generation of renewable energy and tree planting projects - all activities to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or to avoid their release in the first place.
The airline is also now paying to offset the emissions for all its staff travelling for business purposes as well as those generated by its ground transport vehicles.
In just 12 months before launching the voluntary offset scheme, the Qantas group reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 130,000 tonnes - equivalent to removing 30,000 cars from the roads.
The group has set itself a target of improving aviation fuel efficiency by 7.5 per cent by June 2011, cutting emissions by more than two million tonnes, through a range of environmental initiatives, with its focus on the most modern and efficient aircraft playing a key role.
At the end of its latest financial year (30 June 2007), the group operated a total of 213 passenger aircraft, with an average age of 9.2 years. Since 2000, it has taken delivery of some 123 new, more efficient aircraft, worth US$ 10 billion (at list prices), and retired 48 older, less efficient models. The Qantas Group's outstanding orders, for delivery from early 2008, comprise firm commitments for 218 aircraft with a book value of US$28 billion. These include 20 Airbus A380s, 65 Boeing 787s, 68 Airbus A320/321s and 31 Boeing 737-800s for its mainline operation and Jetstar subsidiary. The group also has options and purchase rights for a further 50 Dreamliners, 40 more of the European twinjets and another 49 of the Next Generation 737s.
While new, more efficient aircraft will play a leading role in achieving its targets, the airline is also working on fuel-saving initiatives such as aircraft weight reduction programmes, flight planning processes, revised schedules and flight path changes.
It is also examining alternative energy sources for ground-based operations. Committed to energy efficiency improvements in all areas of its operations, it is already measuring energy consumption and implementing programmes to ensure continual efficiency improvement, including the use of energy efficient lighting, voltage reduction units and staff awareness training.
It is pursuing a range of initiatives to reduce consumption of water too, and is reviewing and auditing various types of waste. Among its recycling efforts:
• Wine corks from its Australian domestic and international lounges are donated to Guides Australia, who sell them to raise funds for environmental projects and to support membership for financially disadvantaged members.
• Money raised by recycling aluminium cans from its Sydney Qantas Club lounge is used to fund wildlife assistance projects, like the "Ecocean" Whale Shark conservation programme.
To encourage other Australian tourism operators to minimise their impact on the environment, to respect local culture and to provide benefits to local communities, Qantas has established an award recognising "excellence in sustainable tourism". It is also investing in seminars and workshops around Australia to support local operators in adopting environmentally friendly business practices.
• For more information on Qantas' environmental programmes, www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/flyCarbonNeutral/index and http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/community/environment#jump0
Royal Jordanian
Environment protection is a key element in the airline's strategy, especially in its operational and maintenance processes. During the past five years, the airline has had a particular focus on reducing pollutants - emissions from aircraft emission and ground support equipment (GSE), gases from fire extinguishers and aircraft air-conditioning units, and waste and hazard material .
Royal Jordanian operates one of the world's youngest and most modern fleet with the latest, highly efficient aircraft.
Its choice of new aircraft and ground support vehicles and equipment is driven heavily by fuel consumption, emissions and noise levels.
Its fleet replacement extends to ground vehicles too, with new, more environmentally friendly buses recently introduced for transporting passengers and staff to and from its Amman hub airport.
Like other one world airlines, RJ is among the industry leaders in eliminating paper tickets, recently listed by IATA in the top 20 of the world's 350 airlines in its progress in implementing the move to electronic tickets.
Recycling is another key concern for RJ. As much as possible of the paper it uses is recycled.
