Air Travel and Flights emission factors
Aviation emission factors vary by flight distance, cabin class, and whether non-CO₂ effects (radiative forcing) are included. DESNZ provides factors per passenger-kilometre: domestic flights at approximately 0.246 kg CO₂e/pkm, short-haul at 0.151 kg CO₂e/pkm, and long-haul at 0.195 kg CO₂e/pkm for economy class. Business and first class factors are significantly higher due to the greater floor space per passenger. Including a radiative forcing multiplier (typically 1.9x) accounts for the additional warming effect of emissions at altitude.
Why it matters for carbon reporting
Business travel is a major Scope 3 category for professional services, consulting, and multinational businesses. A single return long-haul flight can produce more emissions than an employee's annual commute. With video conferencing now widely adopted, scrutinising the necessity of flights is one of the quickest ways to reduce reported emissions.
Practical example
A 200-person consulting firm flies 50 employees from London to New York return (11,170 km) annually for client meetings. At 0.195 kg CO₂e/pkm in economy, this generates 109 tCO₂e. Replacing 30 of these trips with video calls saves 65 tCO₂e and £45,000 in travel costs.
How to reduce air travel and flights emissions
- 1Introduce a flight approval policy for domestic and short-haul travel
- 2Default to rail for journeys under 4 hours
- 3Book economy class to reduce per-passenger emissions
- 4Set annual flight reduction targets and track progress quarterly
Sample emission factors
View allAir Travel - Long Haul (>= 2300 miles) — Business Travel
Business travel EF — Air Travel - Long Haul (>= 2300 miles)
Air Travel - Short Haul (< 300 miles) — Business Travel
Business travel EF — Air Travel - Short Haul (< 300 miles)
Air Travel - Medium Haul (>= 300 miles, < 2300 miles) — Business Travel
Business travel EF — Air Travel - Medium Haul (>= 300 miles, < 2300 miles)
Flights
UK Government Conversion Factors
Flights
UK Government Conversion Factors
Flights
UK Government Conversion Factors
Flight - Generic - Average (CO2 only)
All flights, all classes, weighted average
Flight - Domestic - Business (CO2 only)
Domestic UK flights, business class
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