Korean Air flies toward greener skies with sustainability strategies

Industry

Published: 20 Sep. 2023, 16:41 Updated: 20 Sep. 2023, 16:50

Korean Air flies toward greener skies with sustainability strategies

Planes of Korean Air [KOREAN AIR LINES]

Korean Air Lines is participating in a range of activities aimed at reducing carbon emissions in order to make good on its commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The country’s largest airline made the pledge at this year’s International Air Transport Association (IATA) general meeting, convened in Istanbul in June, where the company presented its ongoing projects related to the commitment.

A main pillar of the efforts concerns the adoption of eco-friendly aviation fuels for its aircraft, alongside the recycling of retired airplanes and other materials.

Korean Air started using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a term referring to the fuels sourced from sustainable resources like plant-based oils, seaweed and urban waste gases.

The biofuel is capable of reducing carbon emission by up to 80 percent, compared to conventional aviation fuels, according to the airline, although it is two to five times more expensive.

Its aircraft for the Chicago-Incheon route in 2017 marked the first use of SAF, and the company extended the use to regular routes, including Paris-Incheon, last year.

Korean Air also invited its cargo clients to join the cause through an initiative called Cargo SAF Program earlier this month. The program is designed to encourage the customers to purchase the biofuel option that it uses and share the result of the shift in fuel.

The endeavor is in line with the focus of Korea’s top brass.

"The topics of global warming, climate change, and environmental destruction, which have been resurfaced for many years, are not something to be addressed by future generations," said Hanjin Group Chairman Walter Cho in Korean Air's ESG report this year. "Instead, they are the pressing concerns that our generation must tackle right now."

Korean Air's upcycled name tags and ball markers from retired aircraft [KOREAN AIR LINES]

Another main driver is the so-called upcycling, which transforms retired aviation assets into new items. In 2021, it introduced the first upcycled goods crafted from decommissioned aircraft — 4,000 name tags made from a Boeing-777 aircraft that flew for 100,682 hours for 23 years.

The repurposed goods sold out within a day, mainly thanks to aviation enthusiasts on the hunt for novel items related to aircraft.

Subsequent releases of name tags and golf ball markers, featuring materials from Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, also enjoyed widespread popularity.

Korean Air's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV displayed at the Drone Show Korea 2023 [KOREAN AIR LINES]

Leveraging its aviation operations and expertise in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Korean Air is contributing to the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), which is hailed as a promising next-generation transportation mode due to low noise and emissions, alongside the potential to alleviate traffic congestion.

Korean Air's involvement in state-funded projects like UAM Team Korea and partnerships with Incheon International Airport Corporation and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute underscores its commitment to leading the transition toward a more environmentally sustainable society.

In securing new fleets, the company is also focused on increasing the portion of fuel-efficient aircraft. Recent acquisitions, including the A220-300, A321neo, B787-9, and B737-8, boast significantly lower carbon emissions per seat compared to their predecessors by 15 to 25 percent, according to the company. Korean Air plans to procure 90 such new aircraft by 2028.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]