Aviation analytics company Cirium has developed a methodology to provide a picture of CO2 emissions and fuel burn calculations per flight and aircraft seat.
The company has combined data elements including but not limited to, aircraft and engine specifications, airline schedules, and actual flight operations to create a holistic view of the actual emissions footprint.
This enables consumers to view emissions by operator, aircraft type or geographical region. Jeremy Bowen, Cirium chief executive, said the level of precision of the CO2 emissions calculations "far exceeds" estimates generally available today.
Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines have commended Cirium for the approach and accuracy of its fuel burn estimations through their own analysis.
Holly Boyd-Boland, Virgin Atlantic vice-president of corporate development, said accurate measuring, monitoring, and forecasting of CO2 emissions is "critical" as the airline targets net-zero by 2050.
"Importantly, it also provides a tool to empower our customers to track and choose airlines with the lowest carbon footprint," she added.
"Cirium is leading the way in this field, building data and forecasting capabilities that are the most accurate we have seen to date, as verified against our own historical fuel burn and emissions data."
The emissions data can also be merged with passenger booking information to provide corporations with their carbon footprint, enabling the companies to gain more insight into their emissions and uncover where opportunities exist to reduce their carbon output.
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