Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation in particular are central to Qatar Airways Cargo’s corporate strategy. In November 2021, it became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and has since been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers. The initial milestone was recently reached with the introduction of a cargo carbon emission calculator.

Qatar Airways Cargo customers interested in knowing the environmental impact of their shipments being transported on the airline’s network, now have access to this simple carbon emission calculator. Available under the eServices menu on the airline’s website: https://www.qrcargo.com/calculate-emissions, the calculator quickly determines the shipment’s total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference. The user simply enters the shipment’s origin, destination, flight date, and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions.

This fully functioning carbon emission calculator was developed based on the published IATA methodology for use in offsetting programmes: it automatically considers various factors such as aircraft type, route-specific data, as well as passenger and cargo load factors. The calculator is the first step towards developing a fully integrated cargo carbon offsetting solution for Qatar Airways Cargo’s customers. Eventually this information tool will be integrated into the online booking process, and customers will be offered a selection of carbon offsetting project options to choose from. The IATA CO2NNECT program will ensure that the credits purchased to offset emissions are from projects delivering verified carbon reductions and wider environmental and social benefits.

"Following our joint Qatar Airways Cargo-IATA project pilot to launch a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments, Qatar Airways Cargo is now proud to unveil our Emission Calculator," Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, announces. "To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo. This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview their shipments’ carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA."