KLM not achieving its own climate targets: Milieudefensie report

KLM is one of the few aviation companies with a climate plan, but the company’s CO2 emissions are not yet decreasing. Researchers from Breda University of Applied Sciences came to this conclusion in a study commissioned by Milieudefensie. They calculate that KLM’s emissions will not decrease but will increase by 6 percent until 2030. That is partly due to the intended growth in the number of transfers at Schiphol Airport.

Transfer passengers often have to detour, and according to the report, that causes much more CO2 emissions than people who take a direct flight. According to the researchers, KLM’s strategy to allow more transfers via its home base at Schiphol Airport is difficult to reconcile with its climate goals.

According to the report, only three airlines worldwide have a climate plan. The researchers consider it positive that KLM is one of them. At the same time, KLM wants to grow in the coming years, just like the umbrella organization Air France-KLM.

To protect the climate, the airline wants to reduce emissions per “ton-kilometer” by 30 percent by 2030. According to the researchers, that is currently impossible. They state that KLM can only achieve half of the target reduction with the measures it has taken. Including more uncertain resolutions, the company reaches two-thirds.

KLM says it shares the concerns about climate change and is, therefore, “investing billions in a cleaner and quieter fleet, alternative fuels, and electrification of raw materials.” These measures bring the company “closer to our objectives,” a spokesperson said. According to KLM, abolishing Schiphol’s hub function is not a solution. “Transfers will travel through a different airport.”

The Breda researchers calculated that transfer passengers now make up 60 percent of KLM’s total passengers. They further point out that sustainable aviation fuel will be scarce in the coming years and that KLM is generally not at the forefront of purchasing new types of aircraft. The fuel consumption of its fleet is currently “very average.” If KLM were more ambitious in this regard, it would also bring the climate goal closer, the researchers said.

Air France-KLM will hold a shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday. Milieudefensie will attend with over 100 activist shareholders to ask critical questions.