Finnair Starts New Carbon Offset Program

Credit: Joe Pries

Finnair has started a new carbon dioxide emissions offset program as part of its efforts to reduce its climate footprint as it aims for carbon-neutral growth by 2045.

A previous offsetting endeavor was dropped by Finnair in March 2020 because of legislation passed in Finland that curtailed such programs. But the carrier said the law has now been amended to allow for a new offsetting scheme to be launched.

Finnair passengers will be able to use the Chooose platform, now available on the airline’s website, to calculate the share of their flight’s carbon emissions for which each traveler is responsible for. Then passengers can offset their emissions via money spent on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) or certified offset projects.

“Both Finnair and our customers are keen to reduce the CO2 footprint of air travel, and we want to offer our customers a simple and transparent way to do this,” Finnair senior VP of sustainability Eveliina Huurre said. “Our service combines two important tools, offsets and SAF, which both are needed to reach carbon neutrality in aviation.”

Finnair noted that high prices and lack of availability “present challenges for increasing [SAF’s] usage in commercial aviation.” The carrier added that “stimulating demand and supply is important to drive down the price of SAF and to increase its availability.”

The airline said it can eventually reach carbon-neutral growth via a “focus on reducing … emissions through aircraft weight reduction, fuel-efficient flying and the use of sustainable aviation fuels and offsetting.”

Aaron Karp

Aaron Karp is a Contributing Editor to the Aviation Week Network.