Wizz Air has launched a new carbon offsetting program, in line with other airlines globally. The new service allows passengers to input details of their flight, get their carbon footprint, and offset the cost. The funds then go to two certified carbon-reducing projects. Let’s find out more.
Carbon offsetting
The term carbon offsetting has become quite popular in the aviation industry in the last few years as airlines try to battle their high CO2 emissions. Offsetting has emerged as a unique option that allows airlines to reduce their impact on the environment by having passengers pay a little extra (usually a few dollars for a short flight) to go towards green projects.
Wizz Air has partnered with CHOOOSE, a Norwegian Climate Action company, to fund two carbon-reduction projects. However, the airline’s version of carbon offsetting is slightly different than most others. While most carriers offer the option to add offset fees during booking, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Wizz for now.
Instead, passengers can head to Wizz’s partner website with CHOOOSE and enter their flight details to understand their impact on the environment and choose to pay the offsetting fee. The site isn’t limited to Wizz Air flights only, you can pay to offset charges from any route (this is likely based on flight distance).
How much does it cost?
On a hypothetical roundtrip booking from London Luton to Athens, priced at €49.98 ($59.4), the carbon offset fee is €6.74 ($8.2). This figure is to offset a startling 784kgs of CO2 emissions from the two 3.5 hour flights.
This is nearly 14% of the ticket value, drastically higher than offset fees from competitors like Ryanair (who charge $2 per flight). However, this figure will vary for every flight route, and passengers could opt to pay lower thanks to the flexibility.
Considering the option is separate from the booking page from now, it’s unlikely that many passengers, except those looking for it, will use the new service. However, the option for deeper integration and the ability to offset any flights might be attractive to some who actively seek to offset their carbon footprint.
More green measures
Last week, Wizz Air introduced several measures to reduce its fuel burn on every flight. This includes small measures such as reducing flap configurations on takeoff and landing. This measure alone can save 2,000 tonnes of fuel every year! The airline has also been highlighting its new measures recently, with CCO Marion Geoffroy saying,
“We strive to be the greenest airline of choice as we work hard on continuously decreasing our environmental footprint. Through a wide range of sustainability initiatives, we are proud to already have one of the lowest emission rates in the European aviation industry and are delighted to be working with CHOOOSE to provide carbon offsetting to our passenger”
While these are positive steps by Wizz Air, airlines may have to do more to reduce their overall carbon footprint. Offsetting and small reduction can only go so far without radical shifts such as new fuel sources or aircraft designs.
What do you think about Wizz Air’s new offset program? Will it help? Let us know in the comments below!
