Doha: International Air Transport Association (IATA) CO2 Connect has been launched yesterday which is an online tool providing airlines, travel agents, corporate organisations and passengers with the most accurate emission calculator in the industry. The announcement came in time as the industry targets net zero by 2050.
It was October 2021 that IATA approved a resolution for the global air transport to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050, which is in line with the Paris Agreement. According to the United Nations, to keep global warming to not over 1.5°C, emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
In a media briefing held at Sheraton Grand Doha during the 78th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit, IATA Senior Vice-President for Commercial Products and Services Frederic Leger stressed that the IATA CO2 Connect is a simple IT interface. “Airlines, travel agents, corporate organisations and others can send information about one trip such as itinerary, class, airline... to IATA CO2 Connect and in micro-seconds the CO2 emissions for that will be calculated and sent back.”
The IATA CO2 Connect responds to a growing demand for CO2 data transparency linked to airline specific and actual fuel burn information and load factors.
“Flying sustainably and cutting CO2 emissions is a top priority."
“The aviation sector is working to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and travelers want to be more aware of their carbon footprint. With IATA CO2 Connect, individuals and corporate travel managers can get standardised accurate calculations to make the most sustainable choices for their air travel taking into consideration aircraft types, routings and class of service. Importantly, data can be consolidated for corporate reporting purposes,” explained Leger.
IATA CO2 Connect supports the industry toward a greener future by providing transparency and consistency, confidence in the data provided because it is based on airlines data and an industry approved CO2 emission calculation methodology, the Senior Vice President further said. The online tool is available to companies within and outside the travel value chain. IATA’s launch partner for this is American Express Global Business Travel, the world’s leading B2B platform wherein it manages over US$40bn in travel sales annually.
Companies interested in accessing IATA CO2 Connect can integrate the data into existing travel management solutions via Application Programming Interface or flat file technology or format.
The key benefits of the IATA CO2 Connect include: the air transport industry through its representative body IATA, meet passenger’s appetite to have such information as well as corporate organization’s willingness to integrate sustainability in their strategy; IATA CO2 Connect uses the most accurate data coming directly from airlines and the engine is based on the industry approved methodology IATA RP1726; and it uses the most accurate data coming directly from airlines and the engine is based on the industry approved methodology IATA RP1726.
Among the main beneficiaries of the tool are: for airlines where they will be able to benchmark their emissions with their peers and assess their progress toward net zero emissions; travel intermediaries, wherein they can help passengers make more sustainable choices by displaying CO2 emission on booking platforms; corporate organisations, where they will be able to provide environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting which is critical for its customers and investors; and to carbon offsetting providers, ensuring they get trusted data to pay for carbon credits.
The 78th IATA Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit will run until tomorrow, June 21 in the country which is hosted by Qatar Airways. Over a thousand aviation leaders from IATA member airlines, governments, industry stakeholders, strategic partners, and media are attending the three-day event.
Source: The Peninsula, Qatar
