Iberia's strategy to advance the decarbonisation of the airline sector is based on four pillars:
1.- The ecological transition of the air sector.
2.- The creation of a more sustainable travel experience for customers.
3.- Training, awareness and participation in sustainability matters for Iberia employees.
4.- Commitment to society, highlighting everything that aviation contributes to society through
connectivity.
IAG was the first airline group in the world to commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and to extend this commitment to its supply chain.
There are more short-term commitments, such as reducing CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by 10% by 2025 or reducing net CO emissions by 2030.
It was also the first to commit to powering 10% of its operations with sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
Across all Iberia flights, the intensity of CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometre improved by 4.4% in 2023 compared to the previous year and by 13% compared to 2019.
The renewal of the fleet is a key point: the A350 consumes 35% less fuel than its predecessor, and the A330 consumes 15% less. Meanwhile, the recently incorporated A321XLR in the Iberia fleet will make long-haul journeys with 30% less fuel consumption than the Wide Body.
Spain has the opportunity to lead the development of a new SAF industry to decarbonise aviation, a
strategic sector, and generate social and territorial cohesion in Spain.
The new industry for the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) could accumulate in Spain:
-Investments of more than 22 billion euros
-Generate 270,000 direct and indirect jobs
-Contribute 56 billion to the GDP until 2050
The latest report by Price Waterhouse Cooper proposes economic, regulatory and cross-cutting measures that would allow Spain to lead the development of SAF by taking advantage of its leadership in renewable energies. These
measures aim to:
Promote public investment in the construction of necessary infrastructure.
Encourage public-private collaboration, since the development of the industry requires the participation of companies and the central administration, regional administrations and also local governments.
And to push the development of new technologies that are absolutely key to the development of the
SAF industry.
SAF:
Spain has everything it needs to produce a lot of SAF at a good price, which is what aviation needs.
SAF allows for a reduction of up to 90% of CO2 emissions compared to kerosene throughout its life cycle, which would mean avoiding 14 million tons of CO2 annually in Spain in 2050, boosting its energy transition and
circular economy, based on the use of new renewable energies such as biofuels or green hydrogen.
Demonstration flights: In Spain, Iberia has agreements with CEPSA and REPSOL to promote the production of
SAF and we have already carried out demonstration flights, both in the domestic market (Bilbao in October 2021) and
intercontinental (Dallas, San Francisco and Washington in June 2022).
By 2025, all charter flights will carry 5% SAF.
In addition, Iberia has been using SAF on its engine test bench since May of this year. The use of this type of
fuel will result in savings of 115 tonnes of CO2 per year. Iberia Mantenimiento is the first Spanish aeronautical maintenance provider
to use this type of fuel continuously on its
engine test bench for commercial airlines.
Social impact:
Our activities also have a positive social impact on the communities in the countries where we operate, both in economic terms and in terms of job creation.
In Spain, Iberia's operations represent 0.9% of total employment and 0.6% of national GDP.
Iberia flies to 18 destinations in Latin America; its operations provide around 156,000 jobs, both in Spain and Latin America. Of these, 73% are in Latin America (114,000) and 27% in Spain (42,000):
Direct employment: Spain: 8,479 // Latin America: 178
Indirect employment: Spain: 6,229 // Latin America: 27,953
Induced employment: Spain: 27,296 // Latin America: 85,673
As for the contribution to the economies of the countries, the total figure is 2.734 billion euros, with the distribution being practically 50% for Latin America and 50% for Spain.
In the 16 countries of Latin America: 1,332 million euros
In Spain: 1,402 million euros
Source: Iberia.