Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia announced on Thursday it operated the world’s longest net positive flight from Jeddah (JED) to Madrid (MAD) on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with 346 tonnes fewer carbon emissions as part of its participation in the Sustainable Flight Challenge.
The airline’s participation is part of a wider commitment to alleviate the environmental impact of its operations and become an industry leader in sustainability.
Above and beyond
“From the offsets bought, wind turbines can be powered for 26 days, generating clean energy for the local population,” the airline stated, noting that “this Gold Standard project is building wind power in India, displacing an equivalent amount of carbon-intense electricity which would otherwise rely on dirty fossil fuels like coal.”
As part of the challenge, launched by SkyTeam, one of the world’s three major airline alliances, all member airlines are required to go above and beyond by finding the most sustainable way to operate one single flight in their existing networks.
The carriers will then be judged across 14 categories recognising their adoption of sustainable practices, to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices across the industry.
An ambitious programme
Saudia’s CEO, Captain Ibrahim Koshy stressed that as Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, the airline has a key part to play in supporting the kingdom in realising Vision 2030’s objectives, noting that becoming a leader in sustainable and regenerative tourism is a cornerstone of the kingdom’s vision.
He further pointed out that operating the world’s longest carbon net positive flight is “just the start of an ambitious sustainability programme” that the airline will be implementing.
Offsetting partner
The Auckland-based IT consulting service provider, CarbonClick has been chosen by SimpliFlying and SAUDIA as the offsetting partner for this challenge.
As a partner, the company will offset Saudia flight SV227 by applying the contribution from SAUDIA to the generation of clean wind electricity for communities in India.
“Aviation is a difficult sector to decarbonise. New, more sustainable technologies are emerging, but those advances can be easily outpaced by industry growth,” CarbonClick’s Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Noordermeer said, noting that “Saudia is setting an example by showing what can be done now, carbon offsetting, and using quality carbon credits as a powerful way to remove carbon and neutralise the impact of radiative forcing.”
Global efforts
Key aviation stakeholders are allocating considerable investments to develop and promote sustainable practices across the industry, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and fuel-efficient aircraft models, in line with the global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
