Carbon calculator app

‘Sustainable Aviation Fuels ‘(‘SAF’) are defined in the Refuel EU Aviation Regulation as aviation fuels that are either synthetic aviation fuels, aviation biofuels or recycled carbon aviation fuels.

SAF produces similar levels of carbon dioxide to conventional aviation fuels when burned, but the carbon dioxide generated is already part of the carbon cycle and is not extracted from the ground specifically for creating aviation fuel. This means that using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel. A major challenge is that SAF availability remains low globally, and today accounts for just over 1% of our total fuel.

As SAF is similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel, it can be dropped straight into existing fuel supply infrastructure and aircraft without modification. As a result, it’s one of the readiest solutions to help decarbonise aviation. In fact, SAF has the potential to provide a lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.

Alongside our parent company IAG, who has so far committed $865 million to SAF investments and purchases, we see progressing the development and commercial deployment of SAF as crucial to decarbonising the aviation industry. It is a key part of our plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and we will be fuelling our aircraft with at least 10% SAF by 2030, in line with the UK government’s SAF Mandate. This includes investing in first-of-a-kind SAF plants in the UK and US to scale up the availability of SAF. We currently use SAF produced from sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, woody biomass, or orchard and forestry waste.

We were the first airline in the world to use SAF produced on a commercial scale in the UK after signing a multi-year agreement with Phillips 66. And in 2024, IAG made its largest SAF purchase agreement to date with producer 'Twelve' for the supply of e-SAF, an advanced form of power-to-liquid SAF made from carbon dioxide, water and renewable energy.

While carbon offsets are delivered by projects that remove or reduce emissions, "carbon removals" strictly refer to projects that remove carbon.

Our calculator estimates your carbon emissions to help you learn more about the climate impact of your flight. You can then voluntarily decide to support climate projects, but your flight will still generate carbon emissions and your support of these projects does not directly reduce the emissions related to your flying.

We combine the data that you enter with data from the airline to calculate your emissions. If your flight is within Europe, we adjust the emissions calculation to reflect the emissions already reduced by British Airways’ participation in regulatory systems including the UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems so that we aren’t double counting these emissions.

Chooose uses the British Airways CO₂ emissions calculator to estimate the CO₂ emissions per passenger across BA flights.

The methodology used is:
Passenger Sector Journeys (PSJs) x KM Flown (GCD) x BA Emissions Factor (class/haul) = CO₂ Emissions (tonnes CO₂e).

The BA emissions factors utilise the previous year’s average fuel burn and load factor data from our aircraft to provide customers with a closer estimate of the CO₂ emissions associated with their flight.

The calculation methodology provides an estimate only of the GHG emissions associated with the fuel burn from the flight(s).

Given that the relative scale of non-CO₂ impact is uncertain and subject to ongoing research, we are using a radiative forcing index of 1, which means that the non-CO₂ effects are not included in the calculation of your estimated footprint.

Similar to green electricity tariffs, there isn’t a special SAF infrastructure that sends SAF to particular flights. Instead, the SAF will be procured and ‘dropped-in’ i.e. mixed into the existing fuel infrastructure. This is because the SAF is blended with conventional fuel before it reaches an aircraft. To maximise efficiency, SAF is put into the fuel infrastructure system at strategic locations rather than at multiple locations. Nevertheless, this purchase-based approach to attribution of SAF means that the SAF you buy can be attributed to you. British Airways will ensure that the SAF is sourced and consumed no later than 12 months after a customer has made a SAF purchase.

This service is hosted by Chooose. Chooose delivers a software platform that supports the lower carbon fuel value chain. Leading companies in aviation and cargo build and operate their carbon programs on Chooose software – partnering with Chooose to automate emission calculations, to manage and distribute scoped attributes, and to collaborate with their fuel suppliers and Scope 3 buyers.