By Ian McMurtry
Air Tahiti Nui Finds Partner to Offer Passengers Carbon-Neutral Ticket
For those looking to try and make their next trip across the Pacific a carbon-neutral vacation, Air Tahiti Nui is offering the opportunity to make this a reality. In an agreement with CarbonClick, the airline will offer an added addition for those seeing to offer their carbon footprint from flying. The additional cost is entirely voluntary and the fee will depend on the distance flown and the tonnage of carbon that needs to be offset from the flight.
Founded by CEO Dave Rouse, CTO Paul Brady and CPO Jan Czaplicki in 2019, CarbonClick is an Auckland, New Zealand-based firm focused on reversing the effects of climate change. The company was originally started to help Air New Zealand push for a greener future, offering their services as a way for the airline to focus on flying while someone else helped offset the airline’s carbon emissions. Since then the company has branched into retail and eCommerce, including offering case studies on carbon offset AA Smartfuel and sustainably made alcohol.
For CarbonClick, revenue made from the additional fee will be split into New Zealand domestic projects and international initiatives. Domestically, these funds will be put into the regeneration and rehabilitation of the Kaikōura forests and wildlife. Kaikōura is located roughly 100 miles north of Christchurch. Internationally, the expansion of solar panel usage in India and an alternative gasoline program in China will be fueled by the additional ticket cost.
Speaking about the new program, Air Tahiti Nui CEO Michel Monvoisin commented by saying, “by offering our passengers the opportunity to participate in offsetting their carbon impact, we are empowering them to take a very real and measurable action on their carbon footprint.”
Consisting of a fleet of four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, Air Tahiti Nui has remained steadfast in its environmental commitment since the publishing of its “4 pillars and 10 commitments” corporate social responsibility report in 2015. In the report, the airline was determined to focus on four pillars of operation, which included the responsibility to keep Tahiti internationally connected, reduce the environmental impact, be a responsible employer and assist in the development of Tahiti and the greater Polynesian region.
In an update of the report in both 2018 and 2019, Air Tahiti Nui documented that it had already seen some improvement and even finished some tasks due to be completed by 2020. This included seeing 70 percent of the vehicle fleet being renewed into more fuel-efficient models and nearing the conclusion of replacing the Airbus A340 fleet before 2020, which would be achieved in 2019. The airline took it a step further with the signing of the Buckingham Palace Declaration which would outlaw the transfer of trafficked wildlife in aircraft cargo holds. However, it still saw some room for improvement, specifically with carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft missing 20 percent decline and electricity growing by nine percent.
Although Ian McMurtry was never originally an avgeek, he did enjoy watching US Airways aircraft across western Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. He lived along the Pennsylvania Railroad and took a liking to trains but a change of scenery in the mid-2000s saw him shift more of an interest into aviation. He would eventually express this passion by taking flying lessons in mid-Missouri and joining AirlineGeeks in 2013. Now living in Wichita, Kansas, Ian is in college majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in business administration at Wichita State University.