Research on Sustainable Development of AL Airlines Cargo Transportation

Abstract

Driven by the global climate crisis and the "dual carbon" goals, the air cargo industry urgently needs a low-carbon transformation. This study takes Alaska Airlines as a case study, focusing on the sustainable development path of regional air cargo and exploring how to balance the core contradiction between "net zero emissions" and "economic sustainability". Through PESTEL analysis and AHP method, the following conclusions were drawn: on the technical path, SAF localization is the short-term optimal choice, which can reduce costs to 1.8 times that of traditional fuels with the help of regional resources and policy subsidies, and reduce annual emissions of 142000 tons of CO ₂; Standardization of digital systems (such as AI route optimization) can improve fuel efficiency and reduce labor costs; As a long-term technological reserve, the hydrogen polar pilot project needs to break through the bottleneck of low temperature adaptability. In terms of multi stakeholder collaboration, a carbon responsibility sharing mechanism of "shipper consumer airline" has been established, forming a supply chain emission reduction community, and promoting mutual recognition of regional policies and international standards to reduce duplicate compliance costs. AL Airlines' "light asset+localization" model provides a replicable transformation template for small and medium-sized airlines, especially suitable for emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America. This study fills the theoretical gap in the low- carbon transformation of small and medium-sized airlines, expands the dimensions of ESG practices in air cargo, and provides a scientific path for the global aviation industry to achieve its net zero goal by 2050. Future research needs to further explore non grain biomass SAF technology, polar adaptation of hydrogen energy, and global policy coordination mechanisms to promote systematic changes in the industry.