Scandinavian carrier SAS topped Heathrow’s latest ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table after the introduction of new Airbus A320neos.
The next generation aircraft makes up 7% of flights from the London hub and are used by eight of the airlines based at the airport, including British Airways, SAS, Lufthansa, Air Malta, Iberia and TAP Air Portugal.
All feature in the top 20 of the table for the fourth quarter of 2019.
SAS was closely followed by Air Malta, which climbed three positions up to second place in the final three months of the year.
Air Malta has also been deploying new A320neos during 2019. The airline has also been maintaining its strong operational performance and avoiding late or early arrivals.
Oman Air came in third place and was the top long-haul carrier.
Austrian Airlines climbed 16 places, from 28th place to 12th spot, helped by investment in A320s, coupled with a reduction in late and early arrivals.
The Fly Quiet and Green league table ranks the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from October to December 2019.
Heathrow chief executve John Holland-Kaye said: “Over the past decade Heathrow has laid the groundwork for carbon neutral growth by creating the ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table, investing in the restoration of UK peatlands to offset emissions and starting work on airspace modernisation that will reduce emissions in flight.
“Aviation is a force for good and we are working closely with the industry to ensure that emissions are net zero by 2050.”
SAS head of sustainability Lars Andersen Resare added: “SAS is committed to reducing its emissions by 25% in 2030 and is continuously developing more sustainable products and services. Without our dedicated staff and their fantastic work, across all our operations, this wouldn’t be possible.”