Carbon and Fuel Efficiency

At British Airways we are fully committed to minimising the amount of fuel we use on every flight; not only to reduce our fuel costs but as importantly to improve our carbon efficiency.

Carbon Footprint

We have been reporting our carbon footprint since 1993 and we have continually taken steps to improve our carbon measurement and reporting:

Carbon dioxide emissions * (million tonnes)

*Measured using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol corporate standard guidelines to calculate our emissions from both direct and indirect sources

Our overall target is to improve our carbon efficiency by 25% by 2025 from a 2005 baseline to a level of 83 gCO2/pkm.

Carbon efficiency

(grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometer)

There are a number of significant projects we are undertaking to help reduce the amount of fuel we use.

On The Ground

Reducing the Use of Auxiliary Power Units

The use of Fixed Electrical Ground Power (FEGP) and Pre Conditioned Air (PCA) while aircraft are between flights at airports means that additional fuel needn’t be used by the aircraft Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) on the aircraft.

The Departures Code of Practice

We have helped develop and implement a new code of practice aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of aviation. The code recommends four operational techniques which offer benefits in fuel burn, air quality and noise as well as offering operational improvements.

In The Air

New Aircraft Coatings

In late 2010, British Airways engaged with Triple O, a company that produces an aerodynamic aircraft coating, to run a year long trial on an A318 aircraft.  We were able to determine that this aircraft used less fuel than another similar but uncoated aircraft. We have now extended the trial to a larger B777 aircraft. Should this prove successful our aim is to coat every aircraft in our fleet, which we expect would produce a saving of approximately 20,500 tonnes of fuel, equivalent to an annual 64,600 tonne reduction in CO₂.

Weight Reduction

We have managed to reduce the weight across all of our fleet by approximately 43,300 kg; this is more than the weight of two of our Embraer 170 shorthaul aircraft.

Toilet Pipe Descaling

In 2011 we descaled the toilet pipes onboard our B747 and B777 fleets.  Not only does this mean the toilets are more reliable and less prone to blockages but it also saved over £600,000 in fuel per annum.

The Perfect Flight

In July 2010, in partnership with NATS the National Air Traffic Service, British Airways flight BA1462 operated a “Perfect Flight” between Heathrow and Edinburgh. Using optimised air traffic control and flying procedures, including a continuous climb on departure and a continuous descent on approach, achieved a fuel saving of approximately 11%, compared to a standard flight. Lessons from this flight are being used to assist development of more efficient UK airspace for the future.