(TAN): Qatar Airways has announced the official launch of its carbon offset program. The airline’s passengers will now have the opportunity to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey at the point of booking.
Qatar Airways’ carbon offset program is built on a partnership with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Carbon Offset Programme, providing its customers with the assurance that the credits bought to offset these emissions are from projects delivering independently verified carbon reductions as well as wider environmental and social benefits.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “As an environmentally responsible airline, our modern fleet of technologically advanced aircraft, together with our fuel-efficiency programme, combine to optimise aircraft performance and reduce the environmental impact of flying. Our customers can now help to further minimise their environmental footprint by opting to contribute to our carbon offset programme.”
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Emissions will be offset with climate and sustainable development expert ClimateCare, through the Fatanpur Wind Farm project in India. This project has installed wind turbine generators (WTGs) with a combined output of 108 MW to generate and supply clean electricity to the Indian National Grid.
The project consists of 54 wind turbines, installed in and around the villages of Taluk Dewas, Tonkkhurd and Tarana Taluk in the Dewas and Ujjain districts of Madhya Pradesh. The turbines displace electricity generated from fossil fuel sources from the Indian grid, reducing the overall carbon intensity and leading to emissions reductions.
The Fatanpur Wind Farm project project avoids 210,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. All contributions received through Qatar’s carbon offset program will be directed to the project via ClimateCare.
IATA’s Carbon Offset Programme has been approved by the independent audit organization Quality Assurance Standard, the highest standard for carbon offsetting which assesses how organisations calculate emissions, select offset projects and how they communicate this information to their customers. IATA is one of only four organisations worldwide to meet this standard.
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IATA Director General and CEO, Mr. Alexandre de Juniac, said: “There is no alternative to aviation when it comes to long distance travel and carbon offsetting is an immediate, direct and pragmatic means of limiting the impact of climate change.”
Qatar Airways’ Customers can opt in to the carbon offset programme when purchasing tickets through the Qatar Airways website and mobile application. Booking information, including information regarding the carbon offset programme, is available in multiple languages.
