According to researched published by The International Council on Clean Transportation*, a nonstop round-trip transatlantic flight averaged about one tonne of CO2 emissions per passenger. This figure is equivalent to emissions from a 35-kilometre daily commute in a Toyota Prius over a working year. For those travellers concerned about their carbon footprint, Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) has created a guide comparing the environmental policies of the top 10 European airlines. The research can be found in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website at www.aph.com/environmentalpolicies.

The research compares the policies of 10 European airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, and Lufthansa for their most commonly used aircraft, the airline's efficiency class**, CO2 emissions per round-trip for cross-Atlantic journeys* and any airline environmental policies.

It should be noted that five key variables determine a flight's carbon efficiency per passenger mile including aircraft model, seating density, load factor, freight share and distance travelled* and these may vary for each individual flight.

Top 10 European Airline Environmentally Friendly Facts

• In 2015 Norwegian Air Shuttle was named the most fuel-efficient airline on transatlantic routes by The International Council on Clean Transportation*.
• Norwegian Air Shuttle's Green Approach outlines a variety of measures to minimise the airline's environmental impact including the use of winglets, engine washing and biofuel.
• easyJet plans to invest in 100 new Airbus A320neo for delivery between 2017 and 2022. The new Airbus A320neo Family will be around 13 to 15 per cent more fuel efficient than the Airbus A319-100.
• Air Berlin was the founding member of the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany.
• British Airways was the first airline to participate in carbon trading in 2002 and more recently the airline placed an order for 12 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft (Boeing's most fuel-efficient airliner).
• In 2015 Air France-KLM retained its position at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the 11th year in a row.
• Ryanair installs winglets on all existing and future aircraft in its fleet which reduce fuel burn rate and CO2 emissions by 4 per cent whilst also reducing noise pollution.
• British Airways founded the Customer Carbon Fund, which uses donations from customers to help fund renewable energy projects.
• Air Berlin's Eco-Efficient Flying programme includes more than 55 measures in the areas of flight planning, weight reduction, aircraft modernisation and flight operation, which reduce emissions and conserve fuel.
• By 2020, Lufthansa aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 per cent compared to 2006 levels.

Of the 10 airlines researched, five name the Airbus A320-200 as their most used aircraft including Air Berlin, British Airways (short-haul) and Lufthansa. The Boeing 747-800/700 is the most commonly used aircraft for four airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle (short-haul), Ryanair, Scandinavian Airlines and Turkish Airlines. It should be kept in mind that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Boeing's most environmentally friendly aircraft at present) is the most commonly used aircraft for long-haul flights with Norwegian Air Shuttle.

Seating density varies between airlines with four airlines, Air Berlin, Air France-KLM, easyJet and Ryanair installing the maximum number of seats for the most commonly used aircraft model. Four airlines, British Airways (short-haul), Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Scandinavian Airlines install over 90 per cent of the maximum seat capacity to their most commonly used aircraft model. However long-haul aircraft with British Airways are only installed with 45 per cent of the maximum seats available.

To calculate the efficiency of each airline, the Passenger Load Factor (PLF) was researched. This measures the airline's average passenger capacity of each flight by the airline. Two airlines, easyJet and Ryanair, achieve a PLF above 90 per cent. Half of the airlines researched achieve a PLF of 80-90 per cent such as Aeroflot, Air Berlin and British Airways. However three airlines meet a PLF of below 80 per cent, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

For airlines flying long-haul, the carbon dioxide emissions per round-trip for a cross-Atlantic journey were researched*. Five of the airlines in this category recorded CO2 emissions of over 1,000kg per round-trip including Aeroflot, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines. Three airlines recorded CO2 emissions below 1,000kg per round-trip including the lowest C02 emissions which were from Norwegian Air Shuttle at 720kg per round-trip.

The overall airline efficiency class** for each airline was also researched with three airlines achieving a rating of 'C', Aeroflot, Air Berlin and Turkish Airlines. Four airlines such as Air France-KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa German Airlines received a 'D' rating with Lufthansa Regional Airlines receiving an unfavourable rating of 'E'.

For further information on Airport Parking and Hotels (APH),
Visit www.aph.com or call 01342 859515.

ENDS

*Information taken from The International Council on Clean Transportation's (ITCCT) Transatlantic Airline Fuel Efficiency Ranking (published November 2015), which can be found at: bit.ly/1N85swb

** According to the Atmosfair Airline Index 2015, which can be found at: bit.ly/1OQoLY4

About Airport Parking and Hotels (APH)
Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) is an award winning airport parking operator and retailer, after winning the Best Airport Parking Company for a sixth year running at British Travel Awards 2015. This year APH also celebrated its 35th year as a retailer and operator of pre-booked airport parking and travel extras. APH offers parking at all major UK airports as well as airport hotels and airport lounges. APH is also a carbon balanced company and has, through support of the World Land Trust, helped purchase more than 1,000 acres of endangered rainforest.

Whether you're taking golf-clubs, a snowboard, a bike or a baby seat on holiday, finding out which regulations you have to adhere to can be a headache. To help cut through all the mouse-clicking, Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) has created an online baggage allowance finder which is easy-to-use and regularly updated with the latest information. The tool can be accessed at:  http://www.aph.com/community/baggage-allowances/.

Media Enquiries
Fiona Anderson / Lauren Hill / McCluskey International / 020 8747 2170 / aph@mccluskey.co.uk