At Atlas, we strive to play a leading role in the decarbonization of the aviation industry while also being a trusted partner in delivering on our customers’ climate goals.
To guide our efforts, we have set an interim target to reduce our own (Scope 1) emissions by 20% by 2035, compared with a 2021 baseline.
In addition, we have stated our support for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airlines for America (A4A) goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions in aviation by 2050, which aligns with the Paris Agreement goal to keep global warming under 1.5°C.
To achieve this goal, we developed a comprehensive, cross-functional decarbonization plan, outlining the most impactful areas where we can decrease emissions:
A significant lever for decarbonization of the industry is SAF, which can be used to help fuel existing aircraft engines without equipment modification or retrofitting. Our dedicated Fuel Procurement team is actively engaged in discussions to develop contracts with fuel providers and other fuel partners to support our customers’ growing interest in the use of SAF. Atlas also uses Skymetrix (formerly FuelPlus) software to track global fuel purchases and enhance SAF purchasing options for our customers. Read Partnerships for a Sustainable Future to learn more.
In 2023, we announced a partnership with our customer Inditex to incorporate 5% SAF (produced by Repsol) for all flights departing from Zaragoza Airport in Spain. Atlas is the first cargo airline to use SAF regularly on cargo flights in Spain.
We regularly analyze the emissions and fuel efficiency of our aircraft through industry-leading software and tracking metrics, and we leverage this data during our decision-making processes to verify equipment is functioning within specified parameters.
Aligned with our decarbonization strategy priority levers, the team is focused on implementing dynamic routing practices and continuing to reduce zero fuel weight error to further reduce aircraft emissions. Atlas is also implementing a pilot program to test sharkskin technology on our aircraft, which enables it to travel through the air with less resistance, resulting in a fuel burn reduction.
We have invested in new and innovative aircraft solutions to drive customer service, operational efficiency and carbon emissions reductions. Our goal is to ensure that any new aircraft we purchase is more fuel efficient than the previous generation of aircraft it replaces and improves safety and performance.
In recent years, we introduced new Boeing 747-8F and 777-200LRFs to our fleet. The 747-8F offers 20% higher payload capacity and 16% lower fuel consumption than previous 747 models while meeting or exceeding the strictest ICAO emissions standards. The 777-200LRF is the largest and longest-range twin-engine freighter in the world and will help us further improve our flight operations efficiency.
