More than a thousand SATA group passengers have already joined the voluntary carbon offset program of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), announced the Azorean air carrier.

The Voluntary Carbon Offset program at SATA Azores Airlines was launched on March 21 (Arbor Day) and is promoted by IATA, which has contributed to carrying out initiatives with an impact on offsetting carbon emissions, while strengthening the development of sustainable projects, implemented in different regions of the planet.

Through this program, passengers of the SATA group can choose to support a project, certified by IATA, through a voluntary contribution.

According to SATA, in this first phase, the airlines in the SATA group elected the “Ecofiltro Guatemala Improved Stoves and Water Purification” project.

In partnership with ClimateCare and Natural Capital Partners, this project contributes to “the reduction of up to 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year”, according to the airline.

The project is also “contributing to improve health conditions of rural families in Guatemala, by providing high quality stoves to replace the traditional and inefficient fires used for cooking, and also by providing high quality water purification equipment (ecofilters) that increase access to drinking water”, according to SATA.

The airline also informs that “the mark of more than a thousand passengers, who voluntarily offset the carbon emissions produced by their travel with SATA Azores Airlines, has been exceeded”.

“This is good news and an excellent start, which can only motivate a thank you to all passengers who voluntarily joined the cause, contributing to the IATA carbon offset program, to which the SATA group airlines have joined”.

SATA also emphasizes that by joining this IATA carbon offset program, the group “took a further step towards consolidating the sustainability strategy” that it intends to implement “in the coming years”.

Besides Azores Airlines’fleet renewal, which “deserves to be highlighted for being the one that allows a more significant volume of reduction in the CO2 emissions produced”, the airline points out that “other processes are taking place simultaneously and in several areas of the group’s companies”.

Source: Açoriano Oriental