Corporate Social Responsibility Report From SITA | LATAM & IATA Pilot Travel Pass Digital Application | Airbus & Boeing News | Other News

SITA

Global air transport IT provider SITA has released its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, which reveals that, despite the pandemic, the company remains set to become a certified carbon neutral organization by or before 2022. This achievement is well ahead of common airline industry milestones, such as 2030 and 2050, or those of the Paris Agreement.

SITA’s objective to reduce its contribution to climate change is being realized through the company’s Planet+ program. The program aims to define emissions, measure them working with independent environmental consultants RSK Group, and consistently reduce the environmental impacts of operations and business travel year-on-year while complementing those actions with offsetting initiatives.
Through Planet+, SITA reduced overall emissions by 48% in 2020, equaling some 11,423 CO2 tons. This has been achieved through several initiatives such as switching to renewable or partially renewable energy, opting for green energy providers, optimizing office floor footprint, reducing electricity consumption with more energy-efficient devices, and reducing business travel for internal meetings through the use of collaborative online tools.

In 2020, SITA also offset 100% of its emissions for the first time. SITA’s carbon offset program is managed through Natural Capital Partners, a leading global provider of sustainable environmental offset emission programs. The 2020 offset program was not applied purely to business travel emissions as in previous years but was extended to include all operational emissions reported and audited in Scope 1 (direct and controlled emissions), Scope 2 (electricity) and Scope 3 (upstream and downstream emissions, including those generated by SITA employees working from home). Dr. Edna Ayme-Yahil, VP Head of Communications, Brand & Sustainability, said: “As part of our overall commitment to reduce carbon emissions across the air transport industry, we were keen to lead by example by taking real, concrete steps to reduce our impact on the environment. This is paying off and SITA is well on track to meeting our goal of becoming a certified carbon neutral company by or before 2022.”

In 2019, SITA announced its commitment to becoming a certified Carbon Neutral Company by 2022, under the CarbonNeutral® Protocol. This protocol requires organizations to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by defining emissions related to operations, measuring them, reducing them, and then offsetting the remaining ones that have not been reduced or removed through verified carbon offset projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With around 2,500 customers, SITA’s solutions drive efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports, and facilitate secure and seamless border crossings for over 60 governments, while delivering the benefits of connected aircraft to customers of 18,000 aircraft globally.

As well as managing its own economic, environmental, and social impacts, SITA’s CSR report cites an immediate shift in early 2020 to support its air transport industry customers through the pandemic, ensuring business continuity and maintaining normal service levels.
SITA pivoted to meet urgent industry demands for a healthy, safe, and frictionless passenger experience – to reassure passengers and enable ‘COVID-compliant’ journeys. In addition, the company responded to requirements from airlines, airports, and governments for agility, resilience, efficiencies, and cost containment – modifying and adapting their solutions to areas vital to recovery and survival.
Soon to achieve its ambition to be carbon neutral, SITA continues to also drive the industry to be more sustainable with solutions that aim to reduce carbon emissions.

Since 2014, SITA has achieved and maintained ISO14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems – EMS) certification – a milestone for organizations committed to sustainable operations – in seven of its main office locations

LATAM

The LATAM Group, through its subsidiaries in Chile and Peru, together with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have come together to carry out the pilot of the IATA Travel Pass digital application, allowing passengers to organize and manage travel requirements complying with what is required by the authorities on international flights more efficiently and expeditiously.

IATA Travel Pass works based on the biometric information of the passenger’s passport, the results of laboratories in agreement and the joint information of the governments.

“This is great news for our passengers who voluntarily want to join. Having more automated and contactless processes is a new reality for everyone, and this pilot with IATA Travel Pass supports this transformation for LATAM and for the entire industry,” declared the Vice President of Clients of LATAM Airlines Group, Paulo Miranda.
For his part, Peter Cerdá, IATA Regional Vice President for the Americas, adds: “We are pleased that LATAM trusts the IATA Travel Pass. Tools of this type are essential to restart the airline industry and reconnect the world, which allows to reopen borders safely and smoothly, giving governments the guarantee that travelers have complied with health requirements, speeding up migration processes and simplifying the experience for passengers.”

The pilot phase, which is voluntary for the passenger, is expected to take place between June 14 and July 2 on the following routes:
● Lima-Miami
● Lima-Santiago de Chile
● Santiago de Chile-Lima
● Santiago de Chile-Miami

AIRBUS

AIRBUS confirmed plans to produce 45 A320 Family aircraft per month in 4Q21, increasing to 64 by 2Q23 and possibly 70 by 2024 and 75 by 2025; A220 production will rise from five to six per month in 1H22 and possibly to 14 by 2025. A350 will increase from five to six by 2H22; A330 will stay at two.

BOEING

Boeing’s 737MAX-10, the largest airplane in the 737 MAX family,  completed a successful first flight. The airplane took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington, at 10:07 a.m. on June 18th and landed at 12:38 p.m. at Boeing Field in Seattle. “The airplane performed beautifully,” said 737 Chief Pilot Capt. Jennifer Henderson. “The profile we flew allowed us to test the airplane’s systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected.”

The flight was the start of a comprehensive test program for the 737-10. Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the airplane prior to its scheduled entry into service in 2023. “The 737-10 is an important part of our customers’ fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our team is committed to delivering an airplane with the highest quality and reliability.”

The 737-10 can carry up to 230 passengers. It also incorporates environmental improvements, cutting carbon emissions by 14 percent and reducing noise by 50 percent compared to today’s Next-Generation 737s.

(Editor’s Note: The Boeing 737-10 is the biggest Boeing 737 with some of the following features: Wingspan 117ft – 10 in., Length 143 feet – 8 in., Passengers, 230, new engines and landing gear, 66 in. longer fuselage, modified doors and wings.)

The US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION forecasts business travel will not recover until at least 2024.

OTHER NEWS

• We were sad to learn that Chris Longridge, past Boeing executive and really nice guy, passed away on June 15th this past week. Chris was one of the smartest and nicest people to have ever worked in aviation!
• Interestingly, reports The Seattle Times; “Tim Keating, Boeing’s executive vice president of government operations, the company’s chief lobbyist and political strategist in Washington, D.C., and a leading figure on the jet maker’s leadership council, is ‘no longer with the company’.” No data was given on the reason for his release…