Thursday 18 January 2018
Qantas is the most emissions-intensive airline operating across the Pacific.
That's according to the International Council on Clean Transportation, which says the airline uses the two most fuel-intensive aircraft and carries the most empty seats of any transpacific airline.
The group says for each kilometre Qantas transports a passenger across the Pacific, it uses 64% more fuel than the two most efficient airlines, Hainan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
One litre of aviation fuel is able to transport one Qantas passenger an average of 22 kilometres, while Hainan and ANA are able to take a passenger 36 kilometres on one litre, based on historical statistics.
Chinese firm Hainan Airways uses more fuel-efficient aircraft and avoids having excessive empty seats to maximise its efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Japanese airline ANA achieves low fuel-intensity by maximising cargo, which were counted as passengers in the analysis.
Alan Milne, Head of Fuel and Environment at Qantas, said: "We’re committed to reducing carbon emissions and continually look at ways to lower them across our operations.
"“The reason Qantas ranks low in this study is chiefly because we use larger aircraft, fly very long distances and have premium cabins that naturally have fewer people on board."