Air France has today announced a new plan to carbon offset all domestic flights within mainland France starting 1st January 2020. In addition, the French flag carrier said it hoped to reduce CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 50 per cent within the next decade. Announcing the project, Air France chief executive Anne Rigail said the airline must “step up” it’s transition to a more sustainable future.
“I have decided to introduce measures for offsetting 100 per cent of the CO2 emissions generated by our domestic flights as of January 2020 to ensure all our customers have the possibility of carbon-neutral flights throughout France,” Rigail explained.
“We will reduce fuel consumption per passenger/km to less than 3 litres by 2030. Air transport brings people together and promotes openness to the world. Our ambition is to be a driving force for action and innovation in the creation of a sustainable aviation sector,” she continued.
The Dutch side of the Air France-KLM Group has also recently been talking up its plans to become more sustainable and cut greenhouse gas emissions. KLM recently said it would partner with rail services to encourage passengers to take the train instead of the plane on certain routes.
Air France says its commitment to offset CO2 emissions on domestic flights represents 450 services per day and over 57,000 passengers. The airline also plans to encourage corporate customers to offset emission on medium and long-haul flights through a series of new offers that are yet to be revealed.
While Air France committed to eliminating the use of certain single-use plastics like cups, cutlery, stirrers by the end of this year, the airline is only going to start recycling products like cans and Tetra Paks from today.
