The Cessna Longitude is part of the NetJets fleet. Image credit: NetJets
Private aviation firm NetJets has expanded its global sustainability program as its owners look to pare back their carbon footprint even further.
On the agenda are a number of initiatives which will make the fractional jet ownership firm more environmentally friendly. NetJets will also examine all aspects of its business to address their impact in a move that is likely to raise its profile.
“As the largest and most experienced company in the private aviation space worldwide, NetJets’ promise of exceptional safety and service to owners and employees must extend to the larger global community we impact as well,” said Brad Ferrell, executive vice president of administrative services at NetJets, in a statement. “There remains more to be done in the sustainable aviation space, and we look forward to being on the cutting-edge of those innovations and evolving this program in our ongoing efforts to address sustainability in the air, on the ground and with our team members.”
Environmental measures in focus
The measures the firm is taking are vast and include purchasing enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to account for all flights out of San Francisco, where the fuel supply is located, and its home base of Columbus, Ohio.
NetJets will also offset its carbon emissions on administrative and training flights in the United States starting in 2021. This will amount to roughly 1,600 flights per year being carbon neutral.
To further its bid to set a high bar for its environmental standards, NetJets will track a number of metrics, such as decreases in carbon emissions and miles offset to carbon neutral. The company plans to share these figures in bi-annual updates with owners and employees.
As COVID-19 spread, a number of wealthy travelers chose to fly via private jet to avoid commercial flights.
As a result, the private aviation industry is drawing attention and recovering quicker than commercial aviation despite passenger volumes not yet returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Business remains relatively buoyant in the face of the crisis. In July, the company said it would reinstate all of the NetJet European pilots and crew members who had been furloughed in the wake of the introduction of travel restrictions (see story).
The Berkshire Hathaway company has been carbon neutral since 2012 and has participated in the European Union emissions trading system, which imposes both a cap and a cost on emissions.