Isramart : Budget Airlines Produce Less Carbon

Isramart news:
As world leaders gather in Copenhagen for the United Nations Summit on climate change one of the major issues discussed will be the environmental impact of air travel. The last major climate conference, which was held in Kyoto in 1997, left airlines off of the agenda, but since recent evidence has shown that air travel now accounts for about five percent of the world’s carbon emissions, it has become a hot topic. Studies have also shown that if air travel is not curbed and continues to grow at its current pace that it will account for nearly half of all carbon emissions in the upcoming decades. This has made it imperative that travelers make smart choices when it comes to air travel, not only on the distance of their flights, but also which airline they choose.

A recent study done by Liligo found that customers who use budget airlines generally leave thirty percent less of a carbon footprint than those traditional airlines that have first and business class. The study found that there are a variety of reasons why budget airlines use and produce less carbon. One of the major reasons budget airlines produce less carbon is because each flight can handle nearly double the amount of passengers as a traditional airline that has larger business and first class seats that take up more space than standard coach.

Another reason budget airlines produce less carbon is that they usually have newer planes which can take advantage of newer and cleaner engine technology. The study found that the average Ryan Air airplane is three years younger than the average British Airways plane.