Cathay Pacific Airways and sister airline Dragonair have purchased 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions from JP Morgan Climate Care.
The offsets will be used for the airlines' FLY greener offset program, under which passengers can opt to buy offsets against their journeys, the airlines say in a joint statement.
The carbon offsets were offered for sale by three projects in China: a natural gas fuel switch project in Beijing, a natural "run of river" hydro plant project in Guizhou, and a group of 20 wind turbines in Heilongjiang. The offsets will be resold on a no-profit basis.
The offset program, which started in 2007, has seen 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide offsets through March 2009. In 2008, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair offset staff travel amounting to 11,814 tonnes of CO2 at an approximate cost of HK$900,000 ($120,000).
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
