The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the IATA CO₂ Connect emissions calculator among their 16 members and carriers across Africa. AASA is the first airline association to formally support IATA CO₂ Connect.
Using the emissions calculator, airlines and their corporate partners will be able to access trusted emissions data calculated using real operational data directly provided by airlines—including aircraft type-specific fuel consumption—and calculated using a globally standardized methodology.
“IATA CO₂ Connect addresses airlines’ and their customers’ need to accurately measure CO₂ emissions. By using verified operational data and calculated using an internationally recognised methodology, it removes the potential for inaccurate reporting. This also has bottom-line implications in markets such as South Africa, where a carbon tax is applied to domestic aviation,” said Aaron Munetsi, CEO of AASA.
As part of the agreement, IATA will provide technical and operational support to AASA and its member airlines.
“Travellers want to understand how their flight choices affect the environment and want assurance that their decisions are based on trusted data. This is important not just for personal travel, but also for corporations that need to track emissions and comply with regulations. We welcome the strong support from AASA in helping to onboard more African carriers that contribute fuel burn data and in making this data available to passengers across the continent,” said Kamil Al Awadhi, Regional Vice President Africa and Middle East of IATA.
Globally, a growing number of airlines are joining the CO₂ Connect program. To date, more than 150 airlines are contributing operational data, and more than 90 airlines are providing fuel burn data. Earlier this month, Kenya Airways became the latest African airline to contribute fuel burn data to CO2 Connect.
Airlines, travel agents, online platforms and corporate travel managers—including AMEX GBT and Amadeus—are increasingly using IATA CO2 Connect to provide travellers with trusted emissions data at the point of booking, which enables better-informed journey planning and supports organisations’ emissions accounting.
IATA CO2 Connect complies with the ISO 14083 standard, aligning it with the common methodology for collecting and reporting greenhouse gas data across the transport and logistics industry. The emissions calculator is also now able to account for carbon emissions reductions related to the usage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a key lever for airlines to reach their target of net-zero carbon emissions.
“This means that African airlines that adopt CO2 Connect will be ready to account for reduced emissions as SAF becomes more widely available and affordable in Africa and globally,” added Mr Munetsi.
