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LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The boss of Hungarian budget
airline Wizz Air attacked the sustainability
credentials of traditional airlines like Air France-KLM
and Lufthansa, saying business class flying
was bad for the environment.
The carbon emissions of airlines has been thrown into the
spotlight since travel restarted after the pandemic and as
worries over climate change grow.
Wizz Air's Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi told the CAPA
industry conference online that there was no place for business
class on short-haul flights.
"Why do we have to fly business class, especially on short
haul? A business passenger occupies a lot more space therefore
the environmental footprint of your passenger is much greater,"
he said on Wednesday.
The comments came as world leaders gathered on Wednesday at
the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where a number of
announcements related to the greening of transportation were
expected.
They also opened a new front in the battle between newer
low-cost carriers and older more traditional airlines over
tackling the environmental burden.
Legacy airline leaders including Lufthansa's boss Carsten
Spohr have criticised low-cost carriers for offering what they
describe as unrealistically low fares to stimulate travel at the
expense of the environment.
Budget airlines like Wizz only offer one class of flying,
while full-service airlines like Lufthansa offer different
classes with more space for those willing to pay more.
Varadi said sustainability meant change in future: "I think
that will require some of the airlines to fundamentally rethink
how they are doing business and their business approach."
British low cost airline easyJet said it planned to
present further details of its net-zero roadmap in the coming
months after committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
British Airways-owner IAG agreed to purchase
220,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Velocys
over 10 years, as part of its goal of using 10% SAF by
2030.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
