Image courtesy of Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash
Air New Zealand is the national airline of the fabulously beautiful country of New Zealand, an island country of less than 5.5 million people. Its very remote location in the Pacific Ocean makes travel challenging. Airflight is the most efficient way to get to and from the island.
That’s where the conflict occurs. New Zealanders favor the convenience of importing modern products, and the country relies on tourism for much of its economy, but they also want to live a sustainable lifestyle. This means reducing and eventually eliminating carbon emissions.
Air New Zealand has crafted a sustainability framework to reduce carbon emissions and meet consumer demands. By using SAF (sustainable aviation fuels), Air New Zeland will eliminate GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by at least 80%. AGREEN1 has covered this alternative to polluting jet fuels for many years.
The forward-leaning airline is also adding an electric plane to its fleet for short cargo runs, and encouraging passengers to bring their own drinking containers to reduce single-use cups. Air New Zealand is looking to be net-zero emissions by 2050. These are all steps in the right direction. According to the airline, it is the fifth biggest polluter of the island nation, and it hopes to obliterate this label.
