With the aim of joining forces to care for the planet and in midst of Earth Day Celebration, from April 22 Avianca customers will be able to voluntarily offset the carbon footprint generated by their travels, through a digital platform available as a result of the airline's partnership with the climate technology company CHOOOSE™. This initiative is part of the actions that the company is undertaking within the framework of its sustainability strategy to meet its goals to reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to the fight against climate change.
When purchasing a ticket or after their flight, travelers will be able to register their travel data on the CHOOOSE™ platform to know the exact amount of kilograms of CO2 generated when flying, according to to factors such as their destination, the number of travelers per flight and whether they made a round trip or just one way, having the option to offset the carbon footprint through a voluntary contribution. These resources will finance projects in Latin America which, through the use of sustainable energies or conservation of forest ecosystems, reduce, capture or prevent global CO2 emissions.
"For several years Avianca has been working on different strategies to reduce, mitigate and offset the emissions generated in its operation. Using the best technology, applying good operational practices and acquiring carbon credits in strategic projects from the environmental and social dimension has been our focus. Emission offsetting has reached about 70% of the total emissions generated since 2017 mainly in Colombia. However, we know that teamwork makes the difference in the fight against climate change and that is why we are convinced that this alliance with CHOOOSE™ is the first step so that we can all join to be agents of change to have a sustainable world" mentioned Andrés Muñoz, Avianca's Environmental Manager.
"It's an honour to support Avianca's hard work to decarbonize the aviation sector, and it is especially inspiring that the program is linked to important climate projects like rainforests and clean energy production in Colombia and Latin America. Avianca and its customers will help unlock real climate impact, which would not have happened without their support," says Andreas Slettvoll, CHOOOSE CEO and founder.
This implementation of environmental technology solutions is complementary to the airline's strategic projects for environmental protection, which are focused on having a more efficient and sustainable operation.
In addition to the transformation of the cabins of more than 90 A320 aircraft to have 20% more capacity per aircraft in order to reduce the carbon footprint per passenger by 13%, Avianca maintains its participation for the fifth consecutive year in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), being the highest ranked airline in Latin America in this measurement for its actions against "climate change". Finally, the airline is one of the first 100 companies participating in the Carbon Neutrality Program established by the Colombian Ministry of the Environment, contributing to the fulfillment of the goals that the country has set in this area for 2030 and 2050.