Carbon Offset Air Travel Program

ExecuJet Aviation Group, the global business aviation and international jet charter organisation, announced today it has formed a partnership with the highly regarded, non-profit, environmental foundation, myclimate, in order to offer its charter customers worldwide the opportunity to fly carbon neutral with Carbon Offset Air Travel Program. It is the first private jet charter company to align with myclimate.

By purchasing a myclimate ticket ExecuJet customers, flying primarily Bombardier Business Jets including the long range Global Express, will be able to offset the climate relevant emissions generated by a journey through investing in a climate protection project and play an active role in preserving the environment.

Each journey's offset price will be determined by myclimate, taking into account the climate relevant emissions generated per hour flown, and costs of offsetting a ton of CO₂ in a carbon offset project. All projects reduce emissions by promoting renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, hence replacing fossil fuel based energy. For example, in India, biomass, i.e. agricultural waste is used to produce energy. In another project in Indonesia, a hydropower station is being renovated in order to increase the output.

Carbon Offset Air Travel Program - Example

A myclimate example - a Bombardier Global Express burns 532 US-Gallons per flight hour. 532 x 0.458 = EUR 243.65 needs to be paid per flight hour to offset the produced amount of CO₂. If the total flight time is 10 hours, EUR 243.65 x 10 = EUR 2,436 would be the total amount to be paid to receive a climate neutral ticket.

Headquartered in Zurich, ExecuJet's decision to join myclimate, who already partners with leading international air carriers such as Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa, was based on myclimate's international reputation for high project standards as a provider of voluntary carbon offsetting measures. It has been rated as one of the top four providers of carbon offsetting programmes for air travel by the Tufts Climate Initiative conducted by Tufts University in the USA. As a non-profit organisation, maximum income is diverted to carbon offsetting projects.

Offset Carbon Emissions

“ExecuJet sees climate change mitigation as an inherent part of our corporate responsibility. We are sensitive to the wishes of our private charter customers wish to contribute toward climate change and believe myclimate provides a positive carbon neutral flying solution," said Niall Olver, Chief Executive, ExecJet Aviation Group. 

“Aviation's impact on the environment represents 2% of CO₂ - 1.5% of European CO₂* and business aviation accounts for 5 percent of all intra-EU traffic but only 0.5 percent of the emissions generated by this traffic. ** While this is small compared with road transport (18%); domestic activities (23%) and power stations (25% of global CO₂), ExecuJet is committed to reducing and offsetting the impact of its operations on the environment" he added.

”We are glad to cooperate with ExecuJet as we think it is important that everybody contributes to climate protection wherever it is possible. Together with ExecuJet we have implemented a very pragmatic system for their customers to offset emissions. We guarantee that the money is invested into high quality carbon offset projects that lead to a measurable and sustainable reduction of emissions", says Kathrin Dellantonio, spokesperson from myclimate.

Sources * Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ** European Business Aircraft Association (EBAA)

myclimate

The foundation myclimate - The Climate Protection Partnership is non-profit making and exempt from taxation. myclimate is internationally represented - in Switzerland by myclimate (www.myclimate.org), in Austria by the NPO Österreichisches Ökologie Institut (www.myclimate.at), in Norway by the NPO Framtiden i våre hender (www.mittklima.no), in Canada by Unisféra and its Program Planetair, and in the United States by Sustainable Travel International (STI) (www.my-climate.com).

myclimate supports projects that lead to a direct reduction of greenhouse gases and thus makes tangible climate protection possible. The projects achieve their effect through the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energies or by means of energy efficiency measures (energy saving measures or the use of efficient technologies).

myclimate projects must satisfy strict project standards as well as reducing greenhouse gases, they must also make a demonstrably positive contribution to sustainable development and be both ecologically as well as socially compatible.
myclimate manages two different project portfolios:. The portfolio myclimate encompasses projects in developing and emerging countries that are registered with the Gold Standard or are on the way to Gold Standard registration. The portfolio myclimate Switzerland supports projects in developing countries as well as in Switzerland.

November 2007