UK flag carrier British Airways has revealed a special blue livery for one of its Airbus A320neo aircraft. The airline displayed the freshly-painted narrowbody at its Heathrow base today, at the launch of its 'BA Better World' sustainability program. With this scheme, BA is looking to lead the way in terms of creating a more sustainable airline industry.
The aircraft in question
The plane on which British Airways has chosen to showcase its special 'BA Better World' livery is an Airbus A320neo that bears the registration G-TTNA. According to data from ch-aviation.com, this is one of 15 A320neos in the BA fleet. The oneworld founding member also has a further seven on order. These 180-seat twinjets have an average age of 2.3 years.
However, G-TTNA is a little more senior, at just shy of three and a half years old. As it happens, it was the maiden A320neo to join BA's fleet, doing so on April 10th, 2018. With it being the first to fly for the UK flag carrier, it makes an apt choice for the special livery.
G-TTNA received its new colors in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Data from RadarBox.com shows that it flew there on August 25th, before returning last night. It also bears the slogan 'Our most important journey yet,' regarding BA's path to Net Zero emissions.
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A new partnership with BP
The launch of the 'BA Better World' program ties in with the upcoming COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. This will take place in Glasgow, Scotland in November. As part of the scheme, British Airways has established a partnership with British Petroleum. Its oneworld partner Qantas also announced a similar partnership in January.
The airline's co-operation with BP will see the construction of a dedicated plant for the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Humberside, England. In the shorter term, BA will also work with BP to allow it to source SAF to use on its flights from London City, Heathrow, and Gatwick to Edinburgh and Glasgow during the COP26 summit.
For these services, BA will use a blend of SAF and traditional jet fuel, resulting in an 80% reduction in emissions. CEO Sean Doyle commented at the launch that this initiative is supplementary to "the mandatory carbon trading we already operate in the UK, and our own further voluntary carbon offsetting of our UK domestic flights."
Meanwhile, Martin Thomsen, the CEO of Air bp, added that:
"We're thrilled to collaborate with British Airways by supplying sustainable aviation fuel with respect to all of its flights from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh for the COP26 event. Our companies have a long-standing relationship and will continue to work together on sustainable aviation fuel supply initiatives on an ongoing basis."
More offsetting options for passengers
BA and its fellow oneworld members have a shared goal of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. On this topic, today also marks the start of a new emissions offsetting initiative at the airline. Until now, passengers have been able to pay to have the emissions from their flight(s) negated through carbon offsetting. However, there is now a second choice.
Indeed, BA has become the first UK carrier to offer passengers the chance to purchase SAF to offset the carbon footprint from their given flights. It will do so through a partnership with a non-profit organization named Pure Leapfrog. BA explains that:
"Emissions produced from SAF release carbon that has previously already been released into the atmosphere, unlike emissions produced from traditional jet fuel, which release carbon previously locked under the ground."
What do you make of British Airways' new 'BA Better World' sustainability program? Are you a fan of the special aircraft's new livery? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!