Australian airline Virgin Australia has set a target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, although it was not accompanied by a plan to achieve this. Virgin has trialled sustainable aviation fuel, while it is looking to the carbon offsets market.
The pledge by Virgin Australia follows last month's announcement by aircraft manufacturer and global aviation grouping Air Transport Action Group that global civil aviation operations will achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by efficiency measures, energy transition and innovation across the aviation sector.
"I really don't think we have a choice but to commit to net zero emissions by 2050," Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said in a speech to the IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuel Symposium on 4 November. "We have to look at every single lever in the mix of emissions and offsets to try to get as close to net zero emissions well before 2050, wherever that's possible," Hrdlicka said.
Virgin has around a third market share of Australia's domestic aviation market, with Qantas holding the majority.
Virgin did not release its annual GHG emissions data. But the latest GHG emissions projection data from the Australian federal government show emissions from domestic aviation were 8mn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2019 or 8pc of the country's total transport emissions. Emissions from domestic aviation are projected to be 9mn t of CO2e by 2030. Australia's domestic aviation emissions do not include emissions from international flights departing Australia, which pre-Covid-19 accounted for around two-thirds of the country's total jet fuel consumption.
