EasyJet has signed a deal with Airbus to take part in the aircraft manufacturer’s carbon capture and storage project.
The European budget carrier said it was the first airline in the world to sign up for the Airbus Carbon Capture Offer, which uses Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) technology to give airlines carbon removal credits to go towards their decarbonisation goals.
DACCS technology filters and removes CO2 emissions directly from the air using high-powered extraction fans. Once this carbon is removed from the air it is then “safely and permanently” stored underground.
The idea is that while CO2 emissions released by aircraft during flights cannot be directly removed at source, the DACCS system can extract an equivalent amount of carbon from the air to make that flight CO2 neutral.
Carbon capture and storage is seen as being complementary to other CO2 reduction technologies, such as the growing use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), being used by the aviation industry as it aims to achieve net-zero by 2050.
Thomas Haagensen, group markets director at easyJet, said that carbon removal will “play an important role in addressing our residual emissions in the future”, alongside SAF and other measures.
“Our ultimate aim is to achieve zero carbon emission flying and, as well as investing into important projects like direct air carbon capture technology, we are working with multiple partners – including Airbus – to accelerate the development of zero carbon emission aircraft technology,” added Haagensen.
Julie Kitcher, executive vice president of communications, sustainability and corporate affairs at Airbus, praised easyJet for being a “strong advocate of decarbonisation”.
“Initiatives such as this one underline Airbus’ commitment to decarbonisation solutions for our industry and to bringing together airlines and industry players from all sectors in order to build a sustainable aviation ecosystem,” added Kitcher.