BA cuts CO2
British Airways has cut the harmful emissions of its aircraft as part of a Government scheme that allows it to sell its un-used emissions quota.
The airline has cut global carbon dioxide emissions, the gas that contributes to global warming, by 15%. It has also managed to cut nitrogen dioxide emission at Heathrow by 13%.
Fuel efficiency has improved by 25% since 1990 according to the airline.
BA is the only airline participating in a UK Government trail to trade emissions in a bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions. The scheme allows companies that keep emissions below a target level to sell their quota to companies that have not managed to stay below their target level.
According to a spokeswoman, last year BA sold some of its quota to a UK company that had exceeded its own.
The spokeswoman told TravelMole: “If you tax companies for exceeding targets it doesn’t really encourage them to stop polluting. But allowing them to trade quotas with other companies is a real incentive.”
The airline has also managed to cut aircraft noise by half in the last five years.
Despite the airline’s assertions, sections of the media saw the figures in a slightly different light. The Guardian, for example, pointed out that while emission have dropped over the last five years, they actually rose by 4% last year.
The newspaper states: “Yesterday’s figures were an embarrassment to BA, which has stood alongside rival airlines in lobbying vigorously for expansion at the world’s busiest international airport.”
Furthermore, it quotes Andrew Sentance, BA’s head of environmental affairs, as saying: “One of the things about being honest in reporting is that sometimes the trends don’t go exactly the way you want year-on-year.”
Report by Ginny McGrath
Ginny McGrath
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt