The Holy Father, for his upcoming Apostolic Journey of 2-13 September to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore will travel outbound with ITA Airways. The flight will depart from Rome Fiumicino airport to the Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The company has developed several initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of the apostolic journey:
- Efficiency of operating and eco-piloting procedures already in place ranging from route planning, airport handling, ascent and descent maneuvers, route optimization to aircraft interventions in order to reduce fuel consumption as much as possible;
- Attribution of the environmental benefits deriving from the SAF for a quantity equal to 0.5% of the necessary supply. The SAF, produced with co-processing technology, mixes traditional fuel with a percentage of organic part, used and regenerated cooking oil (not in competition with any food chain or to the detriment of biodiversity) which contributes to a reduction in CO2 emissions;
- The complete reduction of CO2 emissions related to fuel consumption that cannot be eliminated, through the purchase of "carbon credits" thanks to participation in projects aimed at reducing CO2 and selected on the basis of two criteria: the destination to local communities and the location in the countries where ITA Airways flies.
The flight will be operated with an Airbus A330-900neo. Equipped with innovative technologies, this Airbus is lighter, more efficient, and quieter, resulting in a 25% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per passenger compared to previous-generation aircraft.
Once again, for Pope Francis' flight to Indonesia, in order to reach the total compensation of CO2 emissions, we chose the volunteer program "The Breathing Space Improved Cooking Stoves Programme", located in India and intended for families with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of traditional domestic kitchen stoves and replacing them with energy-efficient devices.
With this operation, greenhouse gas emissions, smoke, soot and particulate matter will therefore be reduced, with benefits finally on air pollution levels and in the field of safety and health protection.
It is with great honor and pride that ITA Airways once again acts as carrier for the Holy Father and we are committed to doing so while reducing the environmental impact of his air travel.
