Hainan Airlines named the cleanest Transpacific airline by ICCT

26 Jan 2018 2068 | Business & Trade Fairs

SAN FRANCISCO - Recently, The International Council on Clean Energy(ICCT) released their new study on fuel-efficiency for 20 airlines operating nonstop flights between the mainland United States, East Asia and Oceania in 2016. China's Hainan Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways ranked the first in efficiency performance, leading the least-performing carrier -Qantas Airways- by 64%.

Hainan Airline's high performance reflects its use of Boeing's fuel-efficient aircraft: Dreamliner 787. Of Hainan's 3,200 transpacific flights, covering 9 bases in America and accounting for 14 US-China routes in total, the carrier used Dreamliner 787 for over 80% of these flights. The company currently owns the most US-China routes as well as the biggest fleet of Dreamliner 787, with the total number of 26 aircraft. The use of this aircraft reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 16% compare to other models of aircraft. It also provides travelers with a more comfortable and safe flying experience.

Airlines with lowest overall fuel efficiency, such as Asiana, Korean Air and Qantas, predominately use two-engine aircraft including the Boeing 747 and Airbus 380. "There's a reason that airlines around the world are starting to avoid very large aircraft like the 747 and A380," said Dan Rutherford, ICCT's aviation program director and co-author of the paper. "Newer twin-engine widebodies provide the payload and range capabilities needed for transpacific flights with much lower fuel burn."

Aviation is a major contributor to climate pollution, accounting for about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. The International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) forecasts airline traffic in Asia/Pacific will account for 31% of CO2 from international aviation in 2020, with North America at 15%. In order to achieve ICAO's long-term, aspirational goal of increasing the fuel efficiency of international flights by 2% annually, more fuel-efficient wide-body aircraft will need to be introduced to keep up with demand.