Jet charter company Victor has announced a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of private aviation and addressing an “uncomfortable truth” in the industry.
The firm has made it compulsory for every chartered flight booked through its digital marketplace to offset 200 per cent of the carbon emissions from the service. Victor estimates this will save approximately 46,000 tonnes of CO2 over the next 12 months and 403,499 tonnes over the next five years – the equivalent of the average personal annual emissions of 81,000 people in the UK.
Emissions for flights booked with Victor will be offset through largely nature-based projects managed by BP Target Neutral, Vertis and South Pole, including reforestation in Brazil and Zambia. The company is also encouraging both individual and corporate clients to contribute out of their own pocket to go beyond the 200 per cent offset through its Unlimited Programme.
In addition, Victor is working with flight planning provider RocketRoute to leverage routing algorithms in order to calculate emissions, optimise flight paths and reduce fuel burn. The company will record the flight plan provided by every operator and provide Victor with an accurate view of actual fuel consumption for carbon credit calculations. Victor says it will compare this with RocketRoute’s optimised paths to identify inefficiencies and potential fuel burn reduction.
Lastly, Victor is partnering with sustainable fuel producer Neste and the European Business Aviation Association on a mission to promote awareness and ultimately drive the adoption of waste-to-fuel solutions within the private aviation industry.
Victor founder and CEO Clive Jackson commented: “As a business leader, I have the opportunity to take a bold and perhaps unpopular step in highlighting a very uncomfortable truth within our industry. We must act now and encourage others to follow our lead rather than passively waiting for governments and legislation. The problem is only going to get worse, so the sooner we all start to prioritise the reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions the better chance we have at preventing a 1.5-degree increase in the Earth’s average temperature.”
flyvictor.com