QATAR. Qatar Airways Group has marked World Environment Day on 5 June by highlighting its key environmental sustainability initiatives and its mission to “protect the planet”.
The group said it is dedicated to environmental leadership across all of its entities, including airline, airport operations, aviation and catering services, retail outlets and hotels.
Qatar Airways is the first airline in the Middle East to secure accreditation to the highest level in the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA).
Meanwhile its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), is set to become the first airport in the Middle East region to achieve a 4-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) rating as part of plans to expand its capacity to more than 53 million passengers annually by 2022.
HIA’s terminal will also become a LEED Silver certified building, featuring a number of innovative energy efficiency measures.
Qatar Airways has also committed as a oneworld member airline to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, becoming part of the first global alliance to unite behind a common target to achieve carbon neutrality.
The airline’s advanced aircraft technology and fuel-optimisation initiatives are part of a comprehensive strategy to address its CO2 emissions, and it continues to remain compliant with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), and the ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “It is our ambition as an airline to minimise our impact on the environment, and facilitate continued global travel and commerce while limiting carbon emissions.”
He added: “As we work in collaboration with the aviation industry to reconnect the world, we recognise sustainability as a strategy to build resilience post COVID-19. We must act boldly and decisively to make necessary changes, acknowledging that it is innovation which will drive the industry forward for a sustainable future.”
