Flynas Cuts Carbon Emissions By 161,000 Tons, And The First Sustainability Report Reveals The Cut Is Equivalent To Planting 6.5 Million Trees

A statistical report on sustainability in flynas, the Saudi air carrier and the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East and the world, revealed that carbon emissions in the company operations during 18 months were cut by more than 161 thousand tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), amounting to planting 6.44 million trees, thanks to the flynas adoption of several initiatives and practices with a sustainable impact on preserving the environment, in line with the Kingdom’s goals to reach zero neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The company’s sustainability performance has advanced through three tracks: maximizing fuel efficiency, digital transformation, and adopting initiatives with a sustainable impact on the environment, society, and economy.

On the first track, fuel efficiency was maximized through modernizing flynas fleet, composed of 64 aircraft currently, with the next-generation A320neo, the most advanced single-aisle aircraft and the most efficient in operating engines and fuel consumption in the world, which currently constitutes 74% of the fleet. Consequently, CO2 emissions were cut by an average of 7,200 tons per month, which equals planting 288,000 trees monthly, as the new aircraft are characterized by their efficiency in reducing fuel consumption by 18%, cutting CO2 emission by 8% per 100 cycles per minute compared to previous generation aircraft.

Moreover, flynas has adopted technical solutions through partnerships with top international tech providers to monitor, analyze, and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, which has contributed to enhancing the efficiency of flight operations.

By phasing out the old generation of classic-engine A320 (ceo) aircraft by the end of 2024, flynas aims to double its sustainability and environmental protection performance while reducing a significant additional amount of CO2 emissions.

On the second track, the company focused on adopting digital transformation as a strategic basis in the operational and commercial operations of flynas since it was established. It was the first airline in the Kingdom to issue digital tickets and boarding passes in 2007, allow online payment, and offer paying ticket costs in installments.

Digital solutions were not limited to the products presented to the clients but also applied to the operations, as flynas was the first to rely on smart devices in procedures’ guides inside the cockpit to reduce paper consumption and save fuel. Also, it has adopted software and technical solutions to enhance maintenance, engineering, and logistics functions in partnership with top aviation tech providers worldwide. The company is also developing an electronic platform for Umrah marketing and issuing electronic Umrah visas.

On the third track, flynas works to enhance sustainability by launching initiatives that have a sustainable impact on the environment, society, and the economy in partnership with the most important institutions in Saudi Arabia and the world in the field of recycling and enhancing dependence on the most environmentally friendly consumer products.

flynas has signed up for the United Nations Global Compact. In this voluntary initiative, flynas will work towards making the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) part of its strategy, culture, and operations, making the national carrier the first LCC in the Middle East to join the world’s most significant corporate sustainability initiative. flynas has also joined the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), enhancing the leading LCC capabilities to contribute to sustainable global tourism, in line with flynas sustainability strategy and the Kingdom’s vision and commitment to shaping the future of global travel.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), owned by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, to explore partnership opportunities and best options for adopting technology and ideal recycling solutions to treat flynas waste such as oils, plastics, batteries, etc., to achieve best practices in recycling, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative.

In the same context, the company has signed a partnership agreement with King Saud University to sponsor the university’s Distinguished and Talented Students Program, contributing to enhancing the capabilities of students and faculty members and enabling them to participate in international scientific conferences, scientific competitions, and specialized workshops, through traveling on flynas flights that connect a network of more than 70 international and domestic destinations. The agreement also includes practical training for engineering and information technology students in flynas departments and units.

Furthermore, the company has enabled passengers, while completing their bookings on the website and through the application, to donate digitally to charities such as the Association for Children with Disabilities, as the value of donations amounted to about two million riyals, to provide integrated medical and educational services, benefiting 1,140 children with disabilities.

flynas works diligently to provide job opportunities for various groups in society and has been the first Saudi air carrier to empower Saudi women to join the Air Hospitality program, contributing to an increase in the localization rate in air hospitality to 51%. The company has generally raised the women component in its workforce to about 30%.

flynas has also launched the Future Pilots Program, the first of its kind in the Middle East, which achieved a 100% localization rate for the co-pilot job. The Flight Dispatchers Program has been one of the essential localization programs in flynas and helped raise the job’s localization rate to 95%, which has a critical role in aviation operations.

Celebrating the initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture, flynas decorated one of its aircraft with the visual identity of the “Year of Saudi Coffee 2022” and the colors of the Khawlani coffee tree. flynas has also sponsored several development flights to coffee-growing areas in Jazan and Al-Baha to raise awareness of tourist and cultural attractions in the Kingdom, with support from the regional authorities. Before that, the company also cooperated with the Ministry of Culture in the “Year of Arabic Calligraphy 2021” initiative aimed at highlighting Arabic calligraphy as a distinct art that embodies the richness of the Arabic language and its aesthetics, as well as educating travellers about the beauty and importance of Arabic calligraphy and establishing pride in our Arab identity.

In order to enrich knowledge in the aviation sector and keep pace with the growth witnessed by the industry in the Kingdom, the company has organized the “Let’s Talk Aviation” forum over the past four years with the participation of an elite group of decision-makers and industry professionals as well as representatives of domestic and foreign airlines.