The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, has updated its IATA Co2 Connect emissions calculator in order to take into account carbon emissions reductions due to the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

This follows the recent publication of the IATA SAF Accounting & Reporting Methodology which includes specific accounting rules and practices on how to include SAF in per-passenger CO2 data. CO2 Connect initially will apply equal reductions in emissions per passenger across an airline’s entire network. This means that all flights will receive a similar (percentage reduction) based on the total SAF purchased. In future enhancements, it will be possible to allocate SAF emission reductions per passenger to specific routes.

“Both corporations and individual travelers are interested in knowing how sustainable their flights are. They want to know the impact of SAF, especially if they’ve invested in it. By enhancing CO2Connect with the IATA Accounting and Reporting Methodology, we provide the transparency and accuracy individuals and corporations demand,” said Frederic Leger Senior Vice President Commercial Products and Services at IATA.

CO2 Connect participants are increasing in number

IATA CO2 Connect relies on real operational data such as aircraft-specific fuel consumption that is directly contributed by airlines. This is in contrast to other calculators which rely primarily on averages.

With the recent inclusion of Air India, Air Astana, Air Europa, Amelia, Clic Air, Corsair, Hi Fly, Oman Air, Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas and Royal Air Maroc, some 60 airlines are now contributing data to CO2 Connect. With each new airline participant, the accuracy and transparency of IATA CO2 Connect’s calculations improves – for individual travelers and corporates.

With the support of our participating airlines, and the new capability to accurately account for SAF when calculating CO2, IATA Connect is going from strength-to-strength. Leger said that it is a powerful tool for aviation’s decarbonization, powered by global standards methodologies and high-quality information.