LATAM Airlines Group has announced a new program to fully neutralize the CO2 emissions on certain domestic routes across South America. The airline will offset the carbon dioxide emitted through a neutrality program available every Friday. Let’s investigate further.
LATAM’s sustainability strategy
The South American giant, LATAM Airlines Group, is looking to expand its sustainability strategy by launching a new program allowing it to compensate the CO2 emissions on at least eight routes in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Colombia.
The new program, called “Let’s Fly Neutral on Friday,” will support LATAM’s conservation projects, the airline said in a statement. LATAM will offset the CO2 emissions generated on routes, including passengers and cargo flights.
Many airlines worldwide are currently working towards being carbon-neutral as they seek to reduce aviation's impact on climate change. Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA, of which LATAM is a member) approved a resolution for the global air transport industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The commitment is aligned with the Paris Agreement goal for global warming not to exceed 1.5 °C by that year.
The routes
LATAM has several initiatives in place to tackle carbon emissions and fulfill its sustainability plans. The “Let’s Fly Neutral on Friday” program is the latest of the bunch.
The South American airline will compensate the CO2 emissions on at least eight routes at a regional level. The passenger routes are:
- Santiago-Chiloé
- Galápagos Islands-Guayaquil
- Arequipa-Cusco
- Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo
The cargo routes where LATAM will also offset its CO2 emissions are:
- Iquitos-Lima
- Guayaquil-Baltra Island
- Brasilia-Belém
- Bogota-Miami
Each carbon dioxide ton emitted on these routes will be offset with a carbon credit, equivalent to one ton of CO2 captured by a conservation project. The airline expects to add more routes in the future.
LATAM will offset the CO2 emissions through the CO2BIO flooded savanna conservation project in the Colombian region of Orinoquía. According to the airline, the initiative will allow the conservation of 200,000 hectares of savanna, a habitat for more than 2,000 species.
Juan José Tohá, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability of LATAM said,
“This initiative is another step that we have been implementing to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Let’s Fly Neutral on Friday will allow us to turn one day of the week into an opportunity to support strategic ecosystem conservation projects in the region. These projects not only offset CO2 emissions, but they also contribute to protecting the biodiversity and the economic development of communities.”
LATAM’s initiatives
Recently, Simple Flying spoke with Joao Murias dos Santos, Regional Commercial Director at LATAM, regarding the airline’s sustainability efforts.
He said that LATAM is looking to compensate 50% of its domestic emissions by 2030. Nonetheless, while offsetting is important, it is not a complete solution. LATAM is also working to be a zero-waste carrier. Murias dos Santos further stated,
“There's a lot of plastic on the plane. Plastic in the blankets, plastic in the cups and the glasses, and so on. So we're working to be a zero-waste carrier, using all recyclable materials in our cutlery, for example. It's not easy now with all these sanitary restrictions because of COVID, which is quite important as well. So, we're also trying to navigate that.”
Finally, LATAM is also eyeing a Sustainable Aviation Fuels strategy for its fleet in the midterm. In the meantime, the airline has a fuel efficiency program, which has allowed it to avoid the burning of 1.8 million barrels of fuel per year in the last decade.