Loganair has become the first UK regional airline to commit to being Carbon Neutral by 2040 after it announced its Green Skies initiative.
The first step in the Green Skies initiative is to introduce a carbon offsetting programme which will begin on 1st July and will see a £1 carbon offset charge added to each ticket it sells.
Money raised from that charge will then be invested in projects around the world which will remove the same amount ion Carbon as Loganair produces.
Later this year it will also launch a fund which will provide grants too help establish renewable energy sources in the communities served by the airline such as the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
Loganair is already an active partner in several future flight projects which are developing and new technology to reduce the impact of airlines on the environment.
These include Project Fresson, led by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, which will convert the Britten-Norman Islander aircraft used on the Orkney inter-isles air services to hydrogen fuel-cell power; the ZeroAvia hydrogen powered aircraft development project; and the Ampaire electrical powered aircraft programme.
Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said: “We are extremely proud to be the first UK regional airline to set ambitious goals for a carbon-neutral future. The entire transport industry has a huge task ahead to address and reduce emissions from every form of travel, and it’s our responsibility as the UK’s largest regional airline to lead the way.
“The technology required to deliver zero-carbon regional flights is still under development and testing today, and these are programmes in which we’re pleased to be taking an active role. Until they’re ready for use more widely though, we’ll be mitigating the carbon emissions from every Loganair flight through the new offset programme and taking all of the steps that we safely and reasonably can to reduce those carbon emissions in the first place.
“We think it’s right to ask our customers to join us on this journey to carbon neutrality, and the £1 GreenSkies charge within Loganair’s ticket prices means that we can immediately mitigate the impact of the carbon emissions from every flight. We want our customers to understand just how committed we are to highlighting the need to recognise the impact of each journey – and how a small change for all of us can quickly make a big difference overall.”
Flight trials of the ZeroAvia and Ampaire programmes are scheduled for Summer 2021 in the Orkney Islands and they will operate the same routes as Loganair’s inter-isles air services to test the technology in live environment and the aim is to certify them for regular use in commercial passenger operations within three to four years.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson MSP, said: “I warmly welcome the launch of Loganair’s GreenSkies programme and their commitment to becoming a fully carbon neutral airline.
“The Scottish Government looks forward to working with Loganair to deliver on our commitment of decarbonising scheduled flights within Scotland by 2040.
“Loganair’s involvement in the aircraft trials, taking place at the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment in Orkney, is also a great example of how our ownership of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd creates a unique opportunity for Scotland to lead the drive towards zero-emission aviation.
You can find out more about the Loganair Greenskies Initiative here https://www.loganair.co.uk/our-story/greenskies/