In association with: Vueling
The Spanish low-cost airline is taking steps to make air transport more sustainable
As sustainability continues to be a key topic within the travel industry, Vueling is taking steps to ensure it plays its part in protecting the environment, so your clients can be reassured they are flying with an environmentally-conscious airline.
Vueling recently introduced a series of ‘green flights’ which, by using more efficient planes, sustainable fuel and straight flight paths, can cut emissions by up to 72%. The purpose of these flights is to show that a more sustainable aviation industry is possible. The airline is also part of IAG, which was the first airline group to commit to achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Vueling has also been promoting the supply of sustainable aviation fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. Thanks to its alliance with Avikor, it allows passengers to purchase this fuel to be supplied the day of the flight. On its part, Vueling matches the customer’s contributions.
Since the launch of the Avikor option, more than 50 tonnes of sustainable fuel have been supplied. This has saved more than 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of 30 flights between Barcelona and Majorca.
Vueling’s waste management strategy continues to be deployed with the new segregation process aimed at recycling 100% of its onboard waste. And going fully digital has enabled the carrier to save 75kg of paper per flight in documentation. Around €20 million has also been invested to optimise the weight of its aircraft, and even its onboard trolleys are now 15kg lighter.
These measures have reduced carbon emissions. In addition, Vueling has one of the youngest European fleets with the new entries of the Airbus A320neo family aircraft, a new-generation aircraft which reduces CO2 emissions per passenger by 18% and noise emissions by 50%. A quarter of the airline’s fleet is on track to be new-generation by 2023, and 100% by 2030.
Vueling’s sustainability director says…
“At Vueling we have been working since 2012 on actions to minimise the impact of our activity on the environment. One action to highlight is the use of sustainable fuels, which we are already supplying in our daily operations. We know that this is one of the short and medium-term levers for the decarbonisation of the aviation sector.
“There are two main challenges to decarbonise the sector in the short and medium term. Firstly, we need to scale up Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production, and to achieve this, we need to establish partnerships to accelerate innovation, and support from authorities as seen in other countries such as the UK and US. Secondly, we need to redesign today’s airways to prevent aircraft from flying in zigzags. If we also add proper coordination with military authorities, we could achieve a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions in Europe.”
Franc Sanmartí, director of sustainability and government affairs, Vueling
PICTURES: Vueling