When booking flights, do travelers ever hesitate due to concerns about carbon emissions? The oneworld alliance is taking concrete action to make environmental choices clearer for passengers. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and oneworld recently announced a partnership, making oneworld the first airline alliance to fully adopt IATA's CO2 Connect tool, significantly improving the accuracy and transparency of flight carbon emission calculations.
Full Alliance Participation Improves Data Quality
Under the agreement, all 13 oneworld member airlines—including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines—will provide operational data to the IATA CO2 Connect calculation tool. This initiative will substantially increase the proportion of airline-specific fuel consumption data processed by the tool, significantly enhancing its calculation quality and overall accuracy.
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist, emphasized: "Travelers increasingly want to make informed choices based on carbon footprint, and IATA CO2 Connect is an effective tool that calculates CO2 emissions using actual operational data. We're delighted oneworld is the first airline alliance to join this initiative. The data contributions from its 13 member airlines will greatly improve calculation reliability. This decision also highlights the importance of consistency and coordination across the aviation industry in carbon reduction practices."
Empowering Industry Stakeholders for Better Decisions
Christina Ou, oneworld's Environment and Sustainability Board Chair and Cathay Pacific's Group Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, stated: "oneworld is proud to lead in supporting IATA's effort to provide customers with high-quality flight CO2 emission calculations. Our collaboration with IATA on CO2 Connect will help key aviation stakeholders—including airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and travel management companies—support travelers in making better, more informed choices while enhancing transparency in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting."
IATA CO2 Connect: An Actual Data-Based Calculation Tool
Launched in June 2022, IATA CO2 Connect uses fuel consumption, belly cargo, and load factor data provided by member airlines to deliver high-quality passenger carbon emission calculations for each flight. The tool combines IATA data with other open-market sources, calculating CO2 emissions for 74 aircraft types covering approximately 98% of global passenger fleets. It references transport data from 881 aircraft operators, representing about 93% of global air travel.
Industry partners can access CO2 Connect's calculations through application programming interfaces (APIs), flat files, airline sales channels, and travel management companies, providing more convenient and reliable carbon emission data across the aviation ecosystem.
Strong Passenger Demand for Emission Information
A recent survey revealed that 90% of travelers feel responsible for knowing their flight's carbon emissions, yet only two-fifths actually take action. While 84% believe it's easy to find tools for accurate emission estimates, 90% want airlines or travel agencies to proactively provide this information—indicating the industry needs to be more active in informing passengers about their flights' carbon impact.
Ongoing Development and Expansion
IATA CO2 Connect continues developing new features, including its recently launched corporate reporting solution to help businesses accurately report business travel CO2 emissions. A CO2 offset solution planned for next year will support airlines and partners in carbon reduction efforts. A cargo calculation tool under development (expected in 2024) will meet shippers' and freight forwarders' needs for accurate CO2 emission data based on actual airline information, making CO2 Connect a more comprehensive carbon management tool.
Transparent Methodology Aligned With International Standards
IATA CO2 Connect uses the passenger CO2 calculation method (RP 1726) approved by IATA's Passenger Services Conference in March 2022. Developed with 20 airlines and major aircraft manufacturers in consultation with international standards bodies and logistics providers, the method ensures transparent, reliable calculations with these key elements:
Fuel Measurement Guidance: Aligned with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) for accurate, consistent fuel consumption data.
Clear Calculation Scope: Precisely defines CO2 emission calculations related to airline flight activities to prevent data bias.
Non-CO2 Emission and Radiative Forcing Index (RFI) Guidance: Provides direction for more comprehensive assessment of aviation's carbon impact.
Weight-Based Allocation: Fairly distributes CO2 emissions between passengers and belly cargo.
Passenger Weight Guidelines: Uses actual and standard weights to improve calculation accuracy.
Emission Factors: Jet fuel-to-CO2 conversion factors fully align with CORSIA for international comparability.
Cabin Class Weighting: Reflects different airline cabin configurations for personalized results.
Carbon Offset and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Guidance: Encourages more proactive airline emission reduction measures.
Through these initiatives, oneworld and IATA's partnership will provide travelers with more transparent, accurate flight carbon emission information, supporting environmentally conscious travel choices and advancing the aviation industry's sustainability.