This Aussie LCC was named one of the world’s most emissions-efficient airlines

In a global ranking of major carriers, only one Australian airline was named among the world’s most emissions-efficient airlines with the lowest carbon footprint. But the list doesn’t paint the full picture when it comes to the aviation industry’s total climate impact.

Aviation analytics company Cirium used a consistent benchmark for flight emissions to rank the top 20 global airlines with the lowest CO₂ per available seat kilometre (ASK) – aka the total passenger capacity of an airline.

The rankings aim to provide the aviation industry and passengers with verified comparable data on an equal playing field as the sector advances toward Net Zero by 2050 commitments. 

Low-cost carriers have the edge on full-service airlines due to relatively younger fleets with fuel-efficient aircraft and more seat capacity per plane, which lower carbon emissions per passenger.

However, the ranking does not account for total greenhouse gas emissions or the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which can cut a flight’s CO₂ by up to 80 per cent.

The world’s most emissions-efficient airlines

Jetstar was the only carrier in Oceania to make the Cirium Flight Emissions Review top 20, coming in at number 6 on the list of most emissions-efficient airlines with 58.4g of CO₂ per ASK.

Hungarian LCC Wizz Air topped the global rankings with an industry low of  53.9g of CO₂ per ASK, followed by USA’s Frontier Airlines (54.4g) and Turkiye’s Pegasus (57.1g).

Rounding out the top 10 are Mexico’s Volaris (4), India’s IndiGo (5), USA’s Spirit Airlines (7), Singapore’s Scoot (8), Turkiye’s Sun Express (9) and Air India Express (10).

European and Asian carriers dominated the top 20 rankings of the world’s most emissions-efficient airlines with six listings each.

Other European LCCs with the lowest CO₂ per ASK include the Netherlands’ Transavia (13), Greece’s Aegean Airlines (16) and Ryanair (Ireland) at number 20 on the list.

Asian airlines featured on the top 20 list also include VietJet Air (12), Philippines’ Cebu Pacific (18) and Indonesia’s Lion Air (19).

Read the full report here.