carbonneutraltourism.co.uk

Air New Zealand are seeking approval to test a new biofuel which is made from the berries of the Jatropha plant (a weed).  Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe commented “Air New Zealand is absolutely committed to being at the forefront of testing environmentally sustainable fuels for use in aviation and we are confident that our hard work with partners like Boeing together with the efforts of many of our peers will see a step change sooner than many people realise.” Read more here.

It’s interesting to note that with increasing oil prices of US $130 per barrel that turboprop planes are becoming increasingly popular for aviation companies on short haul journeys as they are more fuel efficient than jet powered planes.  Flybe the UK based budget airline has a fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft and last year signed a $788 million deal with Bombardier which will see the airline acquire 15 Q400-78 aircraft with an option of a further 15.

Yesterday Virgin Atlantic ran its first flight using bio-fuel on a Boeing 747 flying  from London Heathrow to Amsterdam.  The bio-fuel powered one of the four engines on this test flight.

This past Thursday the Treasury announced a consultation exercise on aviation duty.  This follows an announcement in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report that Air Passenger Duty is to be replaced by a duty paid on a per plane basis in November 2009. The consultation sets out options for the new per plane duty. The consultation document is available here.

“British Airways took fresh steps today to intensify its work in limiting aviation’s impact on climate change.

The airline unveiled a new carbon offset scheme, and backing for deforestation prevention in Brazil and research into the effects of aircraft’s non-carbon emissions.

The upgraded offset scheme uses UN certified emissions reductions to help finance clean energy projects in developing countries.

Customers offsetting their flight emissions will be supporting a new wind farm in one of the poorest regions of China, as well as run-of-the-river hydro electric plants in China and Brazil.

The scheme is more user-friendly with customers able to buy their offset in one transaction when they book their flight on ba.com.”

To find out more about BA’s environmental initiatives and policies please click here.

In June 2007 EasyJet unveiled a prototype of their ‘ecoJet’ which could reduce CO2 emissions by 50%.   Read more in The Guardian.

EasyJet have called for the introduction of a ‘green efficiency tax’ to replace the air passenger duty. EasyJet believe that the ‘green efficiency tax’ could be based on the type of aircraft and distance travelled.

Andy Harrison, EasyJet Chief Executive, commented: “We have long argued that the current structure of APD is in need of reform. A tax that penalises families but excludes private jets; and charges passengers travelling to Marrakech the same as those travelling to Melbourne, is just plain wrong. A structure that taxes a passenger in the newest, cleanest aircraft the same as someone in an old gas-guzzler cannot be allowed to continue.”

Flybe have introduced a range of labels which illustrate how much CO2 is produced by the type of aircraft and distance flown (opens as a PDF and it’s quite a large file).

Virgin Atlantic are planning to run a trial in 2008 where a 747 is powered by bio fuel. I understand that Virgin are working with Boeing and GE Aviation.

Virgin Atlantic may have a good way of getting passengers to offset their CO2 emissions. I understand that cabin crew will now be able to sell carbon offsets from their duty free trolley! So when you are next purchasing your duty free items remember you can also purchase some carbon offsets.