Air New Zealand has dropped its 2030 goal to reduce carbon emissions, citing difficulties in securing more efficient planes and sustainable jet fuel. This makes it the first major airline to back away from such a climate target. The airline is now working on a new short-term target and remains committed to the industry’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
“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,” said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran.
In 2022, Air New Zealand set a 2030 target to cut emissions by almost 29%, a much more ambitious goal than the global aviation industry’s 5% reduction over the same period. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are crucial to the sector’s strategy to cut emissions, but airlines have struggled to secure sufficient quantities.
“The price of [SAF] is more expensive than traditional fuels, and there is not enough capacity to produce that at scale,” said Ellis Taylor from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that the industry’s emissions reduction target is “net zero 2050 and airlines are not cutting back on the pledge.” IATA emphasized the need for supportive measures from governments, including scaling up SAF production and emerging technologies like hydrogen and carbon removals.
Boeing has encountered significant challenges recently. This month, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after the US found the company violated a reform deal following two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max planes. The firm has also faced scrutiny after a door panel in a Boeing plane operated by Alaska Airlines blew out soon after take-off, forcing the jet to land.
