Published on Monday, March 15, 2021

Air Canada pledges net zero emissions by 2050

Air Canada will commit to advancing climate change sustainability throughout its business.

The airline has set climate targets to realize a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) throughout its global operations by 2050.

To enable this, Air Canada has set absolute midterm GHG net reduction targets by 2030 in its air and ground operations, compared to its 2019 baseline, and has committed to investing $50 million in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and carbon reductions and removals.

"Despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we remain committed to long-term sustainability. Climate change is critical, and we believe we can and must do more to address this for the future of our environment," said Michael Rousseau, Air Canada President and CEO.

The airline has identified several key carbon reduction pillars:

Fleet and operations: Air Canada will continue deploying its energy efficient Airbus A220 and Boeing 737 Max narrow-body fleets that are expected to average approximately 20% less fuel consumption per seat.

Innovation: It will further evaluate the viability, safety and performance of new electric, hydrogen or hybrid operational technologies, and other innovations such as short-haul transportation opportunities and electric drones.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels and clean energy: To further its work on sustainable aviation fuels, Air Canada will invest $50 million in SAF and other low carbon aviation fuel (LCAF) development.

Carbon Reductions and Removals: Air Canada will explore carbon negative emission tech and other direct emission reduction and removal strategies.

Air Canada's climate plan will be updated with more details on aircanada.com in the coming weeks.