The environmental team from myclimate adapted the flight emissions calculator in a large-scale project with the help of current studies and data from the aviation industry.
This has changed
The calculation is based on updated data regarding aeroplane types and their specific fuel consumption and number of seats, as well as the average occupancy of the flights. The data cover all major international airlines. The data basis for this calculation is provided by the International Civil Aviation Organization,ICAO, an agency of the UN. The new myclimate flight calculator also records the emissions linked to the infrastructure at airports, as well that related to the aeroplanes themselves (production, maintenance, disposal).
Further adjustments concern “extra mileage”, that is the additional kilometres flown per flight due to air traffic control or general queues for take off and landing. The freight too is now allocated using a new method according to its mass. Likewise the kerosene production in the upstream chain has been more precisely calculated using new data.
The evaluation of additional non-CO₂-producing emissions, undertaken using the RFI factor (Radiative Forcing Index), remains unchanged. The myclimate approach has recently been corroborated by a study by Jungbluth et al. on the calculation of flight emissions.
Link to the myclimate flight calculator
Detailed link to the calculation bases
*Study on the calculation of CO₂ emissions
Jungbluth N., Meili C. (2018) Aviation and Climate Change: Best practice for calculation of the global warming potential. Working paper. ESU-services Schaffhausen