JetBlue Vows to Do Away with Neutral Emissions in 2020

JetBlue Airways Corp said Monday it plans to become carbon neutral on all domestic flights by July 2020 and would use an alternative fuel source for flights leaving from San Francisco amid rising pressure to cut greenhouse emissions.

According to a news report posted by Reuters, the aviation industry has been trying to combat climate change by trying to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 compared with 2005 levels and sees the emergence of lower-carbon biofuels as a vital step towards meeting this goal.

The industry’s plan rests on a mix of alternative fuel, improved operations such as direct flight paths, new planes and other technologies.

“JetBlue in its attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will favor renewable sources and will start using sustainable aviation fuel in mid-2020 on flights from San Francisco International Airport,” the Reuters report goes on to state.

Sustainable-fuel, derived from sustainable oil crops or from wood and waste biomass, would have the single largest impact in reducing emissions from each flight by around 80%, but is in short supply, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).