CATHAY PACIFIC AND THE ENVIRONMENT
INTRODUCTION
As a responsible corporate citizen, Cathay Pacific is committed to minimising our impact from
our operational activities in the air and on the ground. The airlines environmental objectives are
outlined in its Sustainable Development Strategy. Details can be found in our Sustainable
Development Report at www.cathaypacific.com/sdreport.
CATHAY PACIFIC AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Aviation is a small but growing contributor to climate change. Currently, aviation is estimated to
contribute approximately 2% of human-induced carbon emissions globally and this is expected
to rise to 3% with growth in demand.
Cathay Pacifics approach to reducing its emissions supports in full the International Air
Transport Association (IATA)s Four-Pillar Strategy by investing in technology, improving
operations and infrastructure, and through appropriate economic measures.
1. Investing in technology
- Cathay Pacific is making significant investments to underscore its commitment to modernise
its fleet, with more than 70 new and fuel-efficient aircraft on order for delivery up to 2024.
- Advancement in technology has led to ongoing incremental improvements in fuel efficiency.
The airline has seen a fuel efficiency improvement of 15.3% (in terms of available tonne
kilometers, ATK) and 22.8% (in terms of revenue tonne kilometers, RTK) since 1998.
- The airline is a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group and an equity partner in
Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., a company that specialises in the development of an efficient and
reliable process for transforming municipal solid waste into a source of lower-carbon
transportation fuels.
2. Improving operations and infrastructure
- Cathay Pacific utilises real-time wind data and adopts flexible routes for dynamic flight
planning.
- The airline collaborates with industry partners and regulatory authorities to address air
traffic management inefficiencies.
- Initiatives such as regular engine core washing and reduced engine taxi-in, are
implemented resulting in fuel savings and reduced emissions.
3. Economic instruments
i) FLY greener
- Cathay Pacific was the first Asian airline to launch a carbon offset initiative in 2007.
- Passengers can use cash or miles to offset the emissions associated with their flights.
- The offsets are used to support a diversified portfolio of emissions reduction projects,
which currently include a cook stove project in Shanxi, China, and a group of 65 wind
turbines in Taiwan.
ii) Global Market-Based Measure
Cathay Pacific is involved in the Global Market-Based Measure Technical Task Force,
under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This task force
is leading the industrys work to develop airlines commitment to carbon neutral growth
by 2020 and in developing proposals for a fair and equitable global agreement on
emissions from international aviation.
August 2015
OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
1. Noise
There has already been a 75% industry-wide reduction in noise over the past 30 years. Cathay
Pacific continues to work on ways to reduce noise in its aircraft. Ongoing efforts include:
- Collaboration with airports, air navigational service providers, manufacturers, regulators
and other airline partners on noise mitigation measures.
- Working with industry groups in the promotion of the ICAOs Balanced Approach to
noise management.
- Replacement of older aircraft with newer and quieter ones.
2. Air quality
According to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments air emissions
inventory, aviation contributes 6% of nitrogen oxides, 5% of carbon monoxide and less than 6%
of other air pollutants to local levels of air emissions. Ongoing efforts to minimise the airlines
impacts on air quality include:
- Continued fleet modernisation and retirement of older aircraft.
- Reduced engine taxiing and use of ground power sources instead of engine fuel whilst
aircraft are being serviced on the ground.
- Replacement of older vehicles and equipment with ones that meet Euro V and other low
emission standard.
3. Waste
The use of material resources such as paper, plastic, and food in our operations is part of our
service and is inevitable. There are medium to long-term programmes in place to minimise
impacts from their consumption and disposal. Ongoing efforts include:
- Adaptation of materials with lower environmental footprint across our products.
- Development of protocols to more accurately cater for our flights and donate
consumable surplus food to food banks in Hong Kong.
- Recycling waste from our offices and flights.
- Switching to biodegradable plastic packaging.
- Utilising technological solutions to reduce paper usage and procure from responsible
sources where it is used.
4. Biodiversity
The conservation of habitats and species diversity is important to Cathay Pacific as the airline
acknowledges it has an impact on the destinations in its network. Ongoing efforts include:
- Introduction of Marine Stewardship Council certified fish on selected flights.
- Formalisation of our Sustainable Food Policy to ensure unsustainably produced food
items are not consumed or served at company functions.
- Implementation of a restrictive cargo policy that will lead the airline to only carry
sustainably sourced sharks and shark related products.
August 2015
