LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - British Airways flights can pump
out more carbon emissions per passenger than rival airlines on
certain routes, according to the consumer group "Which?"
It said it compared carbon dioxide emissions on six popular
international routes from London and found that on four of them
BA was the worst performer.
Many airlines, including BA-owner IAG, are trying
to do more to offset their emissions, but Which? said consumers
could make smart choices.
"Which? found that passengers worried about their carbon
footprint can make much more significant reductions to their
emissions by changing who they fly with," the group said on
Friday.
On a flight between London Heathrow and Miami, a passenger
on BA would emit almost a third more than for the same journey
on Virgin Atlantic, it said, while between London Stansted and
Palma de Mallorca, Spain, a BA flight emitted nearly 50% more
than flying with Ryanair, Jet2 or TUI, it
added.
But British Airways dismissed the Which? investigation,
saying it was based on data which was several years out of date
and only assessed 2% of its flights.
"The conversation about climate change is too important to
be undermined by the for-profit organisation Which? using shoddy
research," BA said in an emailed statement.
IAG has said it will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by
2050, becoming the first major airline group to make such a
commitment, while Britain's easyJet is implementing
plans to become the world's first major airline to operate with
net-zero carbon emissions across its flight network.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Stephen Addison)