The environment, a collateral victim of flight cancellations

This is a relatively unknown factor in theimpact of the aviation sector on the environment. Alongside the debates on the relevance of domestic flights or ceilings to be imposed in this or that European hub, AirHelp looked at consequences of flight disruptions on the planet. And according to the calculations in the study published on 26 September cancellations and delays of thefts would generate 9 million additional tonnes of CO2 emissionsor 1.3 % of the aeronautics industry's total CO2 footprint. The authors of the AirHelp report estimate that the additional carbon footprint is equivalent to the annual emissions of around two million passenger cars. This would require "about 3,000 wind turbines operating for a year or 300 to 350 million trees to be offset".

How do you explain the fact that a plane that is late or even doesn't take off as it should can also worsen the carbon footprint of a sector that is already heavily criticised? The study published by AirHelp sums it up as follows: "The disruptions are having a major impact on the environment because of thelonger flight and taxi times delayed aircraft, as well as additional services used, such as taxis and hotels". AirHelp estimates that for the accommodationFlight cancellations generate up to 90,000 tonnes of waste per year...

" Flight disruptions are an inconvenience for passengers, airlines and airports, and their financial and environmental impact has become a major problem for the industry since the pandemic."says Tomasz Pawliszyn, Managing Director of AirHelp. "To ensure that passengers are better protected against disruption and its financial consequences, airlines should improve their communication with them, particularly with regard to air passenger rights."continues Tomasz Pawliszyn.

Time is money...

In addition to this environmental impact, AirHelp has also attempted to measure the human cost of these disruptions. And the figures are sobering... The report estimates that by 2022, 330 million passengers were affected by delays and cancellations on the European market200 million in the United States, and 12 million in Australia. This would represent 650 million hours of lost time. Flight cancellations would have required 30 million hotel nights. And since "time is money", AirHelp believes that "time is money".The cost to passengers had the greatest impact, accounting for 37% of the total cost to the economy. This is explained by the value of time and productivity lost by passengers as a result of delays, based on the hourly value of passenger time, as estimated by aviation agencies."say the authors of the report. They put the impact of the disruption on the economy at between 27 and 32 billion in EuropeIn the United States, the cost is between 30 and 34 billion dollars, and in Australia up to 1.5 billion dollars. The calculation is based on four criteria: the additional operating time for the airlines, the impact on other segments of the economy, the additional costs associated with flight cancellations, and the value of the time lost by passengers.