Air New Zealand has become the first major airline to drop its 2030 emissions target citing difficulties in procuring new planes and sustainable aviation fuel.
In 2022, the flag carrier set a target to cut emissions by almost 29 per cent by the end of the decade.
Greg Foran, CEO of Air New Zealand, said: “In recent months, and more so in the last few weeks, it has also become apparent that potential delays to our fleet renewal plan pose an additional risk to the target’s achievability.
“It is possible the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet.
“As such and given so many levers needed to meet the target are outside our control, the decision has been made to retract the 2030 target and withdraw from the SBTi [Science Based Targets initiative] network immediately.”
The global industry’s ambition is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 predominantly through the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – a more environmentally friendly alternative to kerosene.
Aviation is deemed responsible for around 2 per cent of the world’s emissions but is considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise as fuel for flights cannot be easily replaced with other kinds of power – and today, the demand for sustainable aviation fuel is outweighing supply.
Despite this setback, Therese Walsh, chair of Air New Zealand, said the carrier remained committed to reaching its 2050 net zero target.
In a statement yesterday the airline assured it would set a “new near-term” emissions target that would better reflect the challenges it faces over the availability of new aircraft and SAF.
