To empower executives, investors, regulators and the public, the first Net-Zero Airline Ranking is being released today, assessing the commitment of the world’s 20 largest airlines to net-zero aviation.
This ranking, developed by the Sustainable Aero Lab (in collaboration with Research+Attitude), aims to bring transparency and accountability to the aviation industry’s sustainability debate.
Results of airlines’ net zero commitment
The Net-Zero Airline Ranking for the second quarter of 2024 reveals a sobering reality: the aviation industry is well away from achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Despite the net zero announcement communicated during IATA’s 77th Annual General Meeting in 2021, real commitment to net zero ambitions across the board remains largely limited.
Despite the overall disappointing performance, two airline groups stand out compared to their competitors:
United Airlines leads the ranking with a net zero rate of 62%, the highest commitment among the world’s 20 largest airlines. United leads with extensive SAF purchase agreements, its own climate fund valued at $200 million, and the highest investments in startups developing technologies for sustainable aviation.
In second place is Air France-KLM, which leads the European aviation industry. This ranking is due to the highest share of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Air France-KLM’s current jet fuel mix. Air France-KLM is the only major airline in the world that already uses more than 1% SAF in its annual jet fuel consumption, supported by France’s strict SAF regulations.
Full report including infographics on www.airline-ranking.com
The lack of net zero commitments in the aviation industry poses a serious threat to the climate and social acceptance of aviation in the coming decades. The climate crisis will only get worse, and for industries that do not adapt, it will become increasingly difficult to continue as before.
These findings underscore the urgent need for more genuine and comprehensive net zero strategies within the aviation industry.
For more information, please see our methodology page. The detailed results of the Net-Zero Airline Ranking for Q2 2024 can be found on airline-ranking.com.
About Sustainable Aero Lab
Sustainable Aero Lab is the leading accelerator program for startups in sustainable aviation and has worked with over 80 companies worldwide since its inception in 2021. The Lab brings startups together in live sessions with senior mentors from aviation, business and venture capital several times a year. Sustainable Aero Lab also serves as an unbiased think tank to discuss and analyze decarbonization activities in commercial aviation. The project is supported by IFB Hamburg, Embraer-X and Breakthrough Energy.
Courtesy of Boeing for the featured image
