Johnson says airlines must keep low carbon footprint

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the global aviation industry needs to limit carbon-dioxide emissions once air travel resumes following the coronavirus crisis.

“Inadvertently this year the planet will greatly reduce its CO2 emissions,” Johnson said in answer to a question in Parliament on Wednesday. “We need to entrench those gains. I don’t want to see us going back to an era of the same kind of emissions as we’ve had in the past.”

While the near-grounding of airline fleets following a collapse in demand and closing of international borders will see the aviation industry’s contribution to greenhouse-gas output tumble this year, environmental campaigners have said emissions shouldn’t be allowed to return to previous levels when services restart.

Air traffic worldwide is set to remain 10% lower than pre-pandemic estimates as far out as 2025, the International Air Transport Association said Wednesday, a trend that will alleviate some of the pressure over CO2 output.

Airlines are paring back fleets and canceling plane orders, with U.K. operators British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. planning to retire thirsty four-engine planes, reducing their carbon footprint per flight.

“Aviation, like every other sector, must keep its carbon lower and we’re certainly working on technological solutions to make sure we can do that,” Johnson added.