Delta Air Lines soars towards carbon neutral flights
With industry stakeholders keen to show their commitment to carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards, Delta Air Lines hit the headlines last month when its newest A321 aircraft made its debut carbon neutral flight – a first for the airline
Using biofuels and carbon offsets in coordination with Air BP, this move is Delta’s latest sustainability action toward its long-term goal of a 50% carbon emission reduction by 2050. An early adopter of carbon offsetting, Delta was the first and only US airline to voluntarily cap carbon emissions at 2012 levels by purchasing carbon offsets ahead of the ICAO CORSIA implementation.
Commenting on its latest ‘green’ milestone, Alison Lathrop, Delta’s managing director – Global Environmental, Sustainability and Compliance said:
“We are excited to partner with Air BP and Airbus to power these delivery flights with biofuels and carbon offsets, and will explore opportunities to bring this level of sustainability to all delivery flights going forward.”
Delta is also in the process of eliminating single-use plastics on board its aircraft and in its airport lounges. Significantly, these efforts will divert more than 300,000 pounds of plastic from landfills each year.
Part of a wider range of initiatives being explored by the entire airline industry, Delta’s carbon-free aircraft deliveries are another step in the direction of sustainable air travel and one that we’re proud to be a part of!