“Door-to-door” carbon emission calculation for airlines – Its decarbonization potential and impact

We conduct a literature review and develop an aviation travel-chain emission model by incorporating real-world data. Based on this we investigate a “door-to-door” air-travel carbon calculation concept, which includes emissions from flight (“gate-to-gate”) and non-flight segments, such as airport ground connections. With quantified results, we conduct scenario studies to enhance our understanding. Different carbon calculation methodologies are reviewed, and a modified methodology is applied to compare multi-segments of a “door-to-door” air-journey. The results indicate a substantial impact (up to 22%) when non-flight segments are measured against the flight. In addition, scenario analysis explores potential strategies to deliver measurable, scalable, and practical decarbonization outcomes in the transport context. In one scenario, our results suggest that to achieve a similar decarbonization outcome, the cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is comparable to a typical airport rail surcharge; the latter hence representing a “low-hanging fruit” that with improved coordination can be mitigated today.