Jetstar and Virgin Australia stock fleets with green machines in race to be most sustainable carrier

Two domestic airlines are competing fiercely for the title of ‘greenest carrier’ — so which new aircraft is better?

Jetstar and Virgin Australia are competing fiercely for the title of “greenest carrier” as new research shows travellers are seeking out the most sustainable option before booking.

While Jetstar is slashing emissions and its fuel bill with A321neos from Airbus, Virgin Australia has gone with Boeing 737 Max 8s, which also promise reduced emissions, less fuel burn and a quieter flight.

Although Jetstar has a headstart on Virgin, after taking delivery of its first long-range A321neo a year ago, the Jayne Hrdlicka-led airline is off the blocks and ready to compete.

What’s at stake is the marketing advantage of being the most sustainable airline, which is growing in importance to travellers.

A study by The Travel Corporation involving more than 1000 Australians found one in three said sustainability was the top priority when planning a holiday.

People aged up to 26 were most likely to value sustainability over all else, although cost was still the key consideration when booking a trip.

The findings coincided with the first birthday of Jetstar’s A321neos, which chief executive Steph Tully described as a “game changer” for the airline.

Jetstar’s ‘green machine’ the A321neo LR.

Burning up to 20 per cent less fuel than Jetstar’s earlier A321s, the fleet of nine neos has now saved a total of 16,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

The figure was equivalent to taking 3500 cars off the road, and Ms Tully said the neos were also popular among passengers.

“These longer range, highly fuel-efficient aircraft help us achieve our Qantas Group emissions reduction targets while also delivering great low fares to more destinations,” Ms Tully said. “They are 50 per cent quieter, have huge overhead bins, wider seats and customers can stream entertainment on their own device.”

As well as having a slightly wider fuselage than the Boeing 737 Max 8, the A321neos carry more passengers, with 220 seats in a single cabin format.

Virgin Australia’s Max 8 accommodates 176 people, including 8 in business class, and offers a few centimetres more leg room at 77.5cm to Jetstar’s 74.5cm.

The A321neos have larger fuel tanks, which means they can fly further than the Max 8, with Jetstar using the aircraft on Melbourne-Bali and Sydney-Rarotonga.

They will also soon appear on Melbourne-Fiji and Brisbane-Auckland.

Virgin Australia's new Boeing 737 Max 8.

With only one Max 8 delivered to date out of eight on order, Virgin Australia is playing catch-up but has wasted no time putting the factory fresh aircraft onto its new Cairns-Haneda route.

Each flight uses about 15 per cent less fuel the than older 737-800s, and is about 40 per cent quieter.

Virgin Australia chief sustainability officer Christian Bennett said the Max 8 was the “backbone” of the airline’s strategy to reduce emissions by 22 per cent by 2030.

“Fleet renewal accounts for about 80 per cent of that 22 per cent so it’s a significant part of our 2030 ambition,” Mr Bennett said.

“The noise is really important too, that reduction in noise. When you’re reducing the envelope by as much as these do, that’ll be a very noticeable difference.”

Being a bit smaller than the A321neo, the Max 8 has a 7 per cent lower operating cost per trip than its rival and requires one less heavy maintenance check.

Mr Bennett said more sustainable aircraft were definitely a selling point for airlines.

“I think increasingly customers want to know that the airline they’re flying is making an effort to deliver on the shared challenge we all have to get to where we need to, not just by 2030 but by 2050,” he said.

“I think Australians will enjoy knowing they’re flying on the latest and the best and the safest technology around.”