An investigation conducted by Which? Travel reveals that flying with British Airways can increase CO2 emissions by up to 45% per passenger.
The website revealed that it compared carriers across six routes using a calculator by independent carbon analytics company Flyzen.
When doing the investigation, factors like the aircraft model, mileage, seat configuration and the efficiency of the engine were taken into consideration, according to MailOnline.
The investigation found that one passenger who flew from Heathrow to Miami with British Airways was allegedly responsible for 1.13 tonnes of carbon compared to other airlines on the same route.
The research found that there were also differences on short-haul journeys. For example, a British Airways flight from London Stansted to Palma de Mallorca emits almost 160kg CO2 per passenger, compared to Ryanair, Jet2 or Tui, which is around 109.3kg.
According to MailOnline, Which? Found that on four of these routes out of the airlines in the study, British Airways had the most emissions.
The publication spoke to a British Airways spokesman about the findings. The spokesman said the “figures are at odds with the figures calculated by the range of airlines it claims to have investigated.”
The airlines claim to be “committed to net-zero by 2050.”
British Airways told Which? Travel that they were tackling climate change by developing sustainable aviation fuels and opting for greener aircraft. A representative said the airline was currently operating more than 40 new and fuel-efficient aircraft and have a further 73 on order. The representative claims those aircraft were 25% to 40% more fuel-efficient than those they replace.’
Source: Which? Travel, MailOnline