Understanding Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in Four Leading Airlines

Abstract

What are the environmental sustainability initiatives implemented by Finnair, Qatar Airways, Qantas, and Air New Zealand to reduce the environmental impacts? To address this question four leading airlines were cho-sen as case companies. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to investigate environmental sustainability initiatives of airlines. A critical focus for the reduction of direct emissions from the aircraft has been imple-mented by Finnair by rejecting carbon offsetting with a net zero target of 2045. Net Zero target of 2050 have been set by Qatar airways, Qantas and air New Zealand, and the strategies have been adopted ranging from fuel efficient aircrafts, biodiversity conservation, fuel optimization programs to alternative propulsion tech-nologies. Sustainable Aviation fuel usage has been targeted by all airlines but earlier goal set by Finnair. The use of modern fleet for the fuel efficiency enhancement has been targeted by Qatar airways. Up to different content the circular economy practices have been implemented by each airline, and conservation efforts to protect biodiversity have been most extensively practices by Air New Zealand. Information was gathered from each company sustainable reports, official websites, press releases and industry publications to exam the alignment with SDG 13. During the documentation analysis insight into common initiatives, key patterns and unique strategies were identified. Shared efforts were identified including: SAF and carbon offset pro-grams while distinct strategies such as environmental policies for specific regions and waste management. The findings provided insights into how airlines progress towards greener operations and presented how various approaches and contributions supported industry’s goals to mitigate climate change.