Air New Zealand to abandon its 2030 Climate Target
Air New Zealand has dropped its 2030 climate goal, citing delays with the delivery of fuel-efficient planes and the affordability of alternative jet fuels.
New Zealand's national airline is the first in the world to have scrapped its climate goals and reflects the challenges the industry faces in achieving its decarbonization goals.
In a press release, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said that it had become apparent in the past few weeks "that delays in our fleet replacement plan could pose a risk to achieving this goal."
Foran said that global manufacturing and supply chain issues could cause the airline to have to maintain its current fleet for longer than anticipated and will slow the introduction of fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet.
It was decided to remove the 2030 goal "because we cannot control so many of the levers needed to achieve it," Foran said.
Air New Zealand set a 2030 target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 28,9% from 2019. On Tuesday, the airline announced that it had begun work on a short-term goal.
The aviation industry is considered one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize and is expected to contribute 2% (2,200 tonnes) or 2% of the global CO2 emissions in 2022. In the last decade, it has grown faster than any other form of transport, including rail and roads.
According to the International Energy Agency, aviation emissions must be reduced to net zero by 2050, using solutions to reduce the demand as well as improvements in airframes, engine technology and other technologies.
Air New Zealand announced that it was withdrawing from the Science Based Targets Initiative but is still committed to its goal of zero emissions by 2050.
Walsh said that Air New Zealand, along with other New Zealand airlines, continues to reduce climate risks.
SBTi is an international group of climate groups backed by the United Nations, assisting companies in reducing emissions according to the 2015 Paris Agreement.