Aviation industry concerns over growing trend of flight shaming

Hide your airline ticket, Greens warriors have taken the emissions battle to absurd new heights.

The aviation industry believes ‘flight shaming’ is a growing threat to airlines.

The growing trend of “flight shaming” those who travel by air has been identified as a serious threat to the aviation industry as it struggles with dwindling profits and increasing demand to reduce harmful emissions.

Flight shaming has become a buzz term which refers to feeling guilt over the environmental effects of flying.

Addressing the International Air Transport Association annual meeting in Seoul, director general Alexandre de Juniac warned the practice would grow and spread if left unchallenged.

He said it was the duty of airlines to protect the planet from the “disastrous impacts of climate change” but the answer was not to stop or heavily reduce flying.

“That would have grave consequences for people, jobs and economies the world over,” Mr de Juniac said. “It would be a step backward to an isolated society smaller, poorer and constrained.

“Flying is freedom and the world is better for it.”

IATA has set a target to reduce carbon emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2050 and Mr de Juniac said the best way to do that was through the development of sustainable aviation fuel.

“They can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 80 per cent,” Mr de Juniac said. “A ‘chicken or egg’ situation of high price and limited supply remains.”

European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc told the meeting airfares were covering infrastructure not environmental costs. But Mr de Juniac denied steps towards a cleaner, greener aviation industry would mean higher fares for travellers, pointing to the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft at the same time as airfares fell.

IATA chairman and Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said governments needed to play their part to develop a sustainable aviation industry.

“It is an investment for the ­future generations and they should not just collect revenues from aviation, they should invest, equal to the taxes they collect from the aviation sector,” Mr Al Baker said.

He said the flight shaming trend was young people’s way of raising concerns about air quality but it was based on “misinformation and hype”.

“It is very easy to blame aviation without realising there are other forms of travel that are bigger pollutants,” Mr Al Baker said.

The impact of rising fuel and labour costs and weakening world trade, prompted a downgrade in the outlook for airline profits in the 2019 financial year from $35.5 billion to $28bn.

The revised figure represented a gain of $6.12 for every commercial airline passenger, down from $6.85.