Customers of international cargo carrier Qatar Airways Cargo can now determine their shipments’ carbon emissions via a new online emission calculator.
The tool has been introduced as part of the airline’s environmental sustainability and decarbonisation corporate strategy.
According to a statement, it was developed based on the published global Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) methodology, for use in offsetting programmes. It automatically considers various factors, such as aircraft type, route-specific data, as well as passenger and cargo load information.
The user enters the shipment’s origin, destination, flight date and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions. The calculator then determines the shipment’s total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference.
The Doha-headquartered subsidiary of international carrier QatarAirways says the calculator is the first step towards developing a fully-integrated cargo carbon offsetting solution for its cargo customers.
"To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo,” says Guillaume Halleux, chief officer of cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo.
“This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview of their shipments’ carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA."
The international air cargo carrier serves a global network of more than 60 freighter destinations and 140 passenger destinations utilising freighters.
In November, Qatar Airways became the first carrier to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform, which aims to ensure the credits purchased to offset emissions are from projects delivering verified carbon reductions and wider environmental and social benefits.
According to the company, eventually the calculator will be integrated into the online booking process, and customers will be offered a selection of carbon offsetting project options to choose from.
The global airline industry has set a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – which applies to both passengers and cargo.
This goal, according to Qatar Airways Cargo, requires all stakeholders in the industry to work together and embrace innovative solutions.
Local low-cost airline FlySafair introduced a similar carbon emissions calculation tool last year.
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