Membres
AIR FRANCE welcomes its first A350
This latest-generation aircraft was welcomed as a symbol of Air France's commitment to reducing the ecological footprint of the airline industry.
It is always a great moment, and a great pride for an airline to take delivery of a new aircraft in its fleet. 100 staff members representing the entire company were able to take part in this inaugural flight and many of you, in front of Head Office and in the arrivals hall at CDG [Charles de Gaulle Airport], came to greet this beautiful new aircraft. The A350, as well as demonstrating our ambition to expand and our confidence in the future, is also a strong symbol of our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint.
Anne Rigail, Air France CEO since December 2018, expresses the pride of welcoming brand new, more environmental-friendly aircrafts as part of an eco-conscious fleet modernisation and reasserts Air France's ambitions towards sustainable development. Read Anne Rigail's statement here below.
Air France's commitment to sustainability
Sustainable development is not a new concern for Air France. We have been taking concrete action for many years to reduce our CO2 emissions.
With the arrival of new-generation aircrafts that emit less CO2 (A350, B787 and A220), 50% of our fleet will be renewed within the next 5 years! This is a major way of improving our environmental footprint. All the teams in all our various sectors are also taking action on a daily basis to optimise fuel consumption on all our flights, by promoting eco-piloting procedures, reducing the weight on board our aircraft and optimising our ground operations.
As a result, we have already been able to reduce our CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 20% between 2011 and 2018. We also offset nearly 50% of the emissions on our intra-European flights through regulatory offsets.
For 15 years now, the Air France-KLM Group has been a leader of the DJSI* index, and even ranked top in 2019. We can be pleased with this recognition of our actions by the experts. But this is not enough.
Accelerating Air France's actions and strengthening its ambitions for a sustainable development
Source: Air France
I can today announce that we are making new commitments to accelerate and strengthen our ambitions in terms of sustainable development. I hope that we will remain leaders and pioneers in this field, and that the whole sector will follow.
It is important to show our customers that we are proactive and able to offer innovative and concrete solutions in this field.
As from 2020, Air France will fully offset the CO2 emissions of all its domestic flights
As from January 1, 2020, we will offset 100% of our CO2 emissions on all our domestic flights. This is a strong, voluntary commitment that we are one of the very first airlines in the world to implement. Our customers will now travel in a carbon neutral way on the domestic market. In concrete terms, this offsetting will take the form of contributions to projects related to the protection of forests and biodiversity.
50% reduction in our CO2 emissions per passenger/km
We are setting a new target for 2030 to reduce our CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 50% compared to 2005. This represents a real acceleration of our ambition.
Investing in economically and ecologically relevant innovations
Reducing our environmental footprint also means innovating. This is why Air France is committed to research and innovation for credible alternatives. While we have already been involved in biofuel tests since 2014 with the "Lab line for the future" programme, we are now working alongside Bertrand Piccard's Solar Impulse Foundation to find economically and ecologically viable solutions.
Improved waste management and ensuring waste sorting becomes general practice.
Being exemplary also means a better management of our waste and ensuring waste sorting becomes general practice. I already announced the elimination of single-use plastics in the spring, which will be effective at the end of the year. As from 2020, we will eliminate 1,300 tonnes of single-use plastic (glasses, cutlery, stirrers, etc.) every year.
This month, Air France is launching selective waste sorting on board our aircraft with volunteer staff. More than 7 million plastic bottles, 3 million cartons and 6 million cans will gradually be sent to recycling facilities.
This ambition is demanding and requires everyone’s commitment.
It is a tremendous collective challenge, which we owe to our customers, our children and ourselves.
* The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) are a group of indices gauging the sustainability performance of publicly trading companies
