Air New Zealand Scraps Climate Target, Will Other Airlines Follow?

30.07.2024 - 13:21 / skift.com / Gordon Smith

Air New Zealand is pulling out of an international sustainability program. The flag carrier confirmed on Tuesday that it will abandon its 2030 carbon target and withdraw from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). 

The move makes the company the first major airline anywhere in the world to drop such a high-profile climate goal.

It was only two years ago that Air New Zealand adopted a target to cut its 2019-level emissions by 29% before the end of the decade. This represented a hugely ambitious goal compared to the 5% reduction agreed by the global aviation industry.

The Auckland-based airline said Tuesday’s decision followed “careful consideration.” It added that “many of the levers needed to meet the target, including the availability of new aircraft, the affordability, and availability of alternative jet fuels, and global and domestic regulatory and policy support, are outside the airline’s direct control and remain challenging.”

The airline’s tone and messaging feels far removed from 2022. Just two years ago, the airline launched special ‘Flight NZ0’ branding as part of its wider net-zero campaign. On the landing page, the company boldly stated: “Flight NZ0 is not just a name, it’s a commitment.”

By Tuesday morning, the once-flashy NZ0 micro-site was offline, replaced with an all-white screen with the message: “This site is currently under review.”

Greg Foran, Air New Zealand CEO, said external factors were a major factor in scrapping the 2030 target: “In recent months, and more so in the last few weeks, it has become apparent that potential delays to our fleet renewal plan pose an additional risk to the target’s achievability. 

“It is possible the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet. As such and given so many levers needed to meet the target are outside our control, the decision has been made to retract the 2030 target and withdraw from the SBTi network immediately,” Foran added.

The SBTi is a global accreditation organization that endorses emissions reduction targets. The partnership spans various major NGOs including the United Nations, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the climate charity CDP.

It helps the private sector set science-based emissions reduction targets by providing technical assistance and expert resources. Notably, independent assessment and validation of the targets are a key part of the accountability process. 

For its part, Air New Zealand says work has already started to consider “a new near-term carbon emissions reduction target that could better reflect the challenges relating to