easyJet joins with Airbus to make significant strides towards carbon neutrality in aviation through Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage technology.
easyJet has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Airbus, marking a significant milestone in the aviation industry’s quest for carbon neutrality.
This collaboration centres around the innovative Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) technology, a revolutionary method that extracts CO₂ directly from the atmosphere and securely stores it underground.
As part of this initiative, easyJet is purchasing carbon removal credits through the Airbus Carbon Capture Offer, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to countering its residual emissions and achieving its ambitious decarbonization goals.
Recognised as Europe’s leading airline due to its extensive route network and cost-effective fares, easyJet is now intensifying its sustainability pursuits to ensure its operations are in line with environmental priorities.
Throughout 2022, the airline served more than 69 million passengers, including 9.5 million business travellers, with its vast fleet flying close to 1,000 routes to 150 airports across 35 countries.
With more than 300 million people living within an hour’s reach of an easyJet airport, the airline acknowledges its significant role in minimising its environmental footprint.
Leading the charge in carbon capture
The DACCS approach integrated into this collaboration employs large fans to pull ambient air into contactors where CO₂ is captured by a potassium hydroxide solution.
Following this, the CO₂ is isolated, purified and either converted into sustainable fuels or stored underground.
This technology offers a critical solution for industries like aviation, where direct emission reductions are challenging.
DACCS aligns seamlessly with other facets of easyJet’s decarbonisation strategy, which includes fleet renewal, optimised operations, modernised airspace and promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
SAF can substantially reduce flight-related carbon footprints, whereas DACCS tackles emissions that cannot be addressed through other means.
As Thomas Haagensen, Group Markets Director at easyJet, explains: “Decarbonising a hard-to-abate sector, such as aviation, is a huge challenge and we believe carbon removal will play an important role in addressing our residual emissions in the future, complementing other components to help us achieve our pathway to net zero.”
Airbus has pledged to purchase 400,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits from its partner 1PointFive, which is currently developing a DACCS facility in Texas’ Permian Basin.
This facility will have the capacity to capture up to one million tonnes of CO₂ annually — a vital step towards decarbonisation for the aviation sector.
Through this partnership, easyJet has secured carbon removal credits for 2026 to 2029, bolstering its immediate emission goals and gearing up for long-term sustainability practices.
Airbus’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Julie Kitcher, says: “easyJet is a strong advocate of decarbonisation, for its operations and the wider aviation sector.
“This agreement demonstrates the airline’s willingness to extend its environmental commitment through Airbus’ Carbon Capture Offer.”
Charting a path to net zero
For more than 25 years, easyJet has been at the forefront of the aviation industry, driving digital, engineering and operational advancements to make air travel more accessible and efficient.
Now, the carrier is bolstering this legacy with a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
easyJet became a signatory of the UN’s Race to Zero initiative in 2021 and has since laid out a decarbonisation roadmap, setting an ambitious interim target to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 35% by 2035 compared to 2019 levels.
This builds on the significant progress made since 2000, having already reduced emissions per passenger kilometre by a third.
The airline’s efforts extend beyond mere technological solutions, encompassing corporate responsibility and community outreach.
Employing local talent across Europe in accordance with national labour laws and supporting various charities, easyJet’s decade-long collaboration with UNICEF alone has raised more than £16m (US$20.7m) to assist vulnerable children worldwide.
Through partnerships with key industry players such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace, easyJet is also exploring zero-emission aircraft technologies that could potentially enable wholly carbon-neutral flights in the future.
This multifaceted approach, which includes carbon capture, fleet renewal and SAF, illustrates how collaborative efforts can effectively tackle emissions in aviation.
With ongoing development and scaling of these initiatives, a future where air travel is fully carbon-neutral could soon become a reality.
