Overview
- Researchers report airlines could immediately cut global emissions about 11% by redeploying their most efficient aircraft on existing routes.
- Applying three measures together — most efficient jets, all‑economy cabins, and roughly 95% occupancy — yields an estimated 50–75% reduction in CO2.
- The peer‑reviewed study in Communications Earth & Environment analyzed over 27 million flights across 26,000 city pairs serving nearly 3.5 billion passengers in 2023.
- Efficiency varied sharply by route and configuration, with per‑passenger CO2 ranging roughly 30–900 g/km and premium seating driving more than triple the emissions of economy on average.
- ICAO estimates operational changes contribute only 4–11% toward net zero and industry voices point to aircraft delivery backlogs and limited SAF supply, underscoring policy choices on ratings, fees or restrictions.