Indian airlines' CO2 emissions increased by 63.5 pc between 2012 and 2019: Govt

The Indian airlines carbon dioxide emissions increased by 63.5 per cent from 11,560 thousand tons in 2012 to 18,900 thousand tons in 2019, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Wednesday.

"The data shows an increasing trend in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (by the Indian carriers) over the years," Singh stated in his written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. He gave the details of CO2 emissions by the Indian carriers between 2012 and 2019.

Singh stated the Indian carriers had 18,900 thousand tons of CO2 emissions in 2019, which was 11,560 thousand tons in 2012.  "The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) compiles CO2 emissions data based on the information received from the Indian scheduled carriers," he said. In 2019, domestic flights by the Indian airlines led to 11,843 thousand tons of CO2 emissions, while their international flights led to 7,057 thousand tons of CO2 emissions, he mentioned.

In 2012, the Indian carriers' domestic flights had 6,135 thousand tons of CO2 emissions and their international flights had 5,425 thousand tons of CO2 emissions, the minister noted. Singh said the measures taken by the Centre to reduce the Indian carriers' carbon footprint are optimised airspace utilisation, reduction of unwanted weight, avoiding moisture or dirt accumulation in aircraft, proper speed and flap management.