LATAM Airlines Group has completed its first passenger charter flights with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) allocation, resulting in a reduction of approximately 160 tonnes of CO₂ emissions associated with flights operated in partnership with Ponant Explorations, a French company offering exploration voyages aboard human-scale ships. The operation consisted of 13 flights between Santiago, Chile, and Ushuaia, Argentina, to which 84,800 litres of SAF were allocated under the Book-and-Claim chain-of-custody methodology. The initiative represents LATAM’s first emissions-reduction project linked specifically for chartered passenger flightsThis milestone marks a tangible step forward in LATAM’s sustainability strategy and demonstrates how collaboration between airlines and partners can help accelerate the transition toward lower-emission aviation.
“At LATAM, we firmly believe that advancing a more sustainable aviation industry requires the commitment and collaboration of the entire value chain. This operation with Ponant Expeditions demonstrates that concrete mechanisms already exist for our customers to actively contribute to reducing the emissions associated with their air travel operations, while we continue to drive the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels across the region”, said Thibaud Morand, General Manager of LATAM Airlines for Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Wassim Daoud, CSR and Sustainable Development Director at Ponant Explorations, added: “This collaboration with LATAM marks another important step in our commitment to more sustainable tourism. We are proud to contribute, alongside LATAM, to the development of solutions that can support the decarbonisation of transport while offering our guests exploration experiences that are more respectful of the environment.”
The emissions reduction was calculated in accordance with the methodology established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), comparing the emissions factors of conventional Jet A-1 fuel with those of the SAF used. The fuel allocated for the project was Neste MY SAF™, produced from renewable raw materials and delivering a lifecycle emissions reduction of 74.72% compared with conventional jet fuel.
This project forms part of LATAM’s broader efforts to advance its sustainability strategy and achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
To reach this objective, the company is focused on four key pillars: fleet modernisation, operational efficiency, scaling up the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and carbon offsetting through strategic regional projects as a complementary measure.
These efforts have received international recognition. Earlier this year, LATAM was named by S&P Global as one of the world’s leading airlines in sustainability performance, ranking fifth globally and first among all airlines in the Americas.
