Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand, as an international airline and the country’s national carrier, is acutely aware of the importance of maintaining and growing New Zealand’s “100% Pure” reputation internationally. Therefore we are committed to meeting the highest standards of environmental responsibility.

“Our goal is to be the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline.”

Air New Zealand will continue to search out environmentally acceptable alternatives in every aspect of our business. We have a cornerstone role in ensuring our nation's clean and green image is maintained around the world.

Commitment to the environment

Air New Zealand is a world-leader in examining every aspect of flight operations to reduce carbon emissions by saving fuel.
Management of our fuel use to benefit the environment has been a priority for many years. Modelling of fuel performance is sophisticated and well understood, ensuring Air New Zealand can predict fuel usage with a high degree of confidence and that we can measure progress extremely accurately.
Within the last four years alone, Air New Zealand has instigated 41 projects which have had or are having a positive environmental impact. Between August 2004 and March 2008 our carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 90,963 tonnes a year. Planned new initiatives will increase that to 130,000 tonnes each year.
Initiatives to date range from reducing weight on aircraft to more accurate fuel loadings, optimising flight speeds, increased use of ground power when aircraft are at the airport and improved descent profiles.
No one airline, research organisation or scientific group holds the key to making air travel more environmentally sustainable. Success requires a collective effort across research organisations, aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel companies, refiners and airlines.

Fleet enhancement

• Air New Zealand has committed over $2.5 billion to updating our fleet with Boeing 777-300ERs and Boeing 787-9s. This will ensure we gain the significant carbon emission reductions that these fuel efficient aircraft make possible.
• Air New Zealand is the launch customer for Boeing 787-9, which will be 20 per cent more fuel efficient than comparable aircraft today and the Boeing 777-300ERs will be around 15 per cent more fuel efficient than the aircraft they replace.
• Once the new aircraft are delivered, the average age of our fleet will have reduced even further, so we will continue to have one of the youngest, most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly long haul fleets in the world.

Sustainable Biofuel

• Air New Zealand aims to be the first airline to test jatropha, a sustainable fuel, on a large passenger aircraft.
• In partnership with Boeing and Rolls Royce, Air New Zealand is at the forefront of the drive to develop sustainable fuels for air travel. This will see a Boeing 747 test flight using a sustainable bio fuel, not tested by any other airline, later this year.
• Jatropha meets all of Air New Zealand’s non-negotiable criteria – including that it is environmentally sustainable and doesn’t compete with existing food stocks.
• We’ve also recently joined the Algal Biomass Organisation (ABO), for the identification and acceleration of new generations of fuel sources for the industry that have lower life cycle carbon emissions; in this case sustainable algae-based biofuels.

Taking it personally

• Travellers wanting to help offset their personal carbon emissions can now do so through the Air New Zealand online calculator.  The scheme, which was launched in March 2008, allows travellers to pay via the Air New Zealand website towards offsetting their carbon footprint. 
• Customers can also assist the environment in New Zealand by making a donation to the Air New Zealand Environment Trust. The Trust will support projects around the country which assist in protecting, preserving or enhancing the natural environment as well as funding research and development.
• The Trust’s first project is Mangarara Station in Hawke’s Bay, where 85,000 native trees will be planted over the next three years to create a conservation reserve, which will be available for the public to visit.  

Our people

• Many Air New Zealanders are taking on the drive for environmental responsibility.
• Around 2500 Air New Zealanders have already joined the Green Team and have signed up to help reduce both their own, and our company’s, environmental impact.
• Key areas of interest are waste management and more efficient energy use. We are currently gathering the data needed to establish specific goals and targets. Air New Zealand is also investigating how to reduce our energy use across all our operational facilitates.
• Internally, Air New Zealand is establishing an Environmental Management System (EMS) with the target of attaining ISO14001 by 2010.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand Limited is an international and domestic airline group that is publicly listed on both the New Zealand Stock Exchange (ticker: AIR) and Australian Stock Exchange (ticker: AIZ).  We are principally involved in providing air passenger and cargo transport services to, from and within New Zealand.

• Air New Zealand directly serves 51 cities in 13 countries (including 26 destinations within New Zealand).
• The most recent additions to the route network include direct flights to Adelaide, San Francisco, Shanghai, Vancouver and Beijing.
• In the financial year to June 30, 2008, we carried almost 13.2 million passengers
• Flights range from a 25 minute Wellington to Blenheim trip, to a 14 hour, 11,571 km flight from Vancouver to Auckland.
• Air New Zealand is a member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest multi-national alliance, providing access to 965 airports in 162 countries.