OUR DECARBONIZATION
TRAJECTORY
#DECARBONIZATION #ENVIRONMENT #RESPONSIBILITY #SUSTAINABILITY
At the heart of our strategy
Sustainability, which is at the heart of our strategy
and our corporate governance, is no longer
a choice but an absolute necessity.
Committed for 30 years
Sustainability has played an important role in Air France-KLM’s strategy for some 30 years. Our Group is thus considered a frontrunner in the airline industry. International concern about climate change is nonetheless growing. Attitudes towards the acceptability of air transportation growth are changing both at political level and in terms of wider society, while we are witnessing increasingly-extreme climate events.
New objectives validated by SBTi (Sciences Based Targets Initiative)
The Group has set itself new targets: we have a clear ambition for 2030, the first step in enabling us to attain our Net Zero Carbon emission target in 2050.
We are targeting a reduction of carbon intensity of 30% in 2030 compared to 2019 in Revenue Ton Kilometer (RTK). These targets have been approved by the SBTi’s Target Validation team confirming that they are in line with a well-below 2°C objective, as determined by the Paris Agreement signed in 2015.
To attain this target, the Group’s decarbonization strategy relies on three levers:
✔ accelerating fleet renewal with more energy-efficient aircraft
✔ being a leading player in the field of more sustainable aviation fuels
✔ optimizing ground procedures and ongoing operational measures
To take its commitment to a still-higher level
The Air France-KLM Group is one of the first European airline groups to choose to have its decarbonization trajectory validated by SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), the international reference organization founded by the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Scientific validation of the decarbonization path
The SBTi is responsible for the extremely important, not to say vital, task of rolling out CO2 emission targets at global level (aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement) by sector of activity.
Furthermore, Air France KLM near-term 2025 trajectory has been validated by the Transition Pathway Initiative as aligned with 1.5 degrees.
https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/companies/air-france-klm
A company serving the general interest
The Group has enshrined its sustainability transition in its corporate purpose, which was adopted by the Shareholders’ Meeting of May 24, 2022 and is now included in the Group’s Articles of Incorporation. It designates a general interest ambition that we intend to pursue:
"At the forefront of a more responsible European aviation, we unite people for the world of tomorrow."
In a world which is constantly changing, we are committed to more sustainable, responsible and inclusive aviation, which respects men, women and the planet. With our pioneering spirit, we are determined to play our part in the transportation of our sector and thus show that a new way is possible for the aviation industry. We want to pass this unique experience of travel by aircraft on to future generations so that they can, in their turn, discover the world via a more responsible form of travel.
The quest for radical innovation
In parallel, the Air France-KLM Group is participating in research and development programs into new technologies to study all the possible options for decarbonizing air transportation.
Concrete examples
1. Air France-KLM participates in the Alliance for ZeroEmissions Aviation (AZEA), which aims to prepare the market for the entry into service of zero-emission aircraft. The objective of this Alliance is to support the development of zero-emission aircraft technologies, fuels and infrastructures, and to facilitate the deployment of these technologies in the aviation industry. AZEA's work aligns with the Airbus Zero-e announcements.
2. In 2023, KLM conducted a six-month pilot project with SATAVIA. Flight paths within Europe were adjusted to avoid the formation of potentially warming contrails. This pilot project gave insights into the non-CO2 effects of KLM and the operational implications and constraints of contrail avoidance
Innovate to reach our goals sooner
Air France-KLM is a major partner in the TU Delft-France Initiative and is committed to contributing an annual €150,000 over three years, starting in 2024. Launched in April 2023, the initiative aims to create innovative solutions to decarbonize the aviation industry. The financing will go towards a university fund to finance ambitious collaborative research projects between France and The Netherlands.