Air New Zealand becomes first major airline to drop 2030 climate goals

July 30 (UPI) -- Air New Zealand announced on Tuesday that it was bailing out of its 2030 science-based carbon intensity reduction targets because it could not meet the goals due to various obstacles.

The carrier said it was currently not realistic to meet the standards in the Science Based Targets Initiative because of the lack of availability of new aircraft, the affordability and availability of alternative jet fuel, and global and domestic regulations policy support.

Air New Zealand said those obstacles were simply out of the carrier's control, making it difficult to comply with such climate change goals.

"In recent months, and more so in the last few weeks, it has also become apparent that potential delays to our fleet renewal plan pose an additional risk to the target's achievability," Greg Foran, Air New Zealand CEO, said in a statement.

"It is possible that the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet."

Air New Zealand becomes the first national flag carrier and first major airline to significantly move away from its near-term climate plans previously set for the industry to meet its decarbonization goals.

Air New Zealand had originally said it would be able to reduce its carbon intensity by 28.9% by 2030 compared to its 2019 levels.

"Air New Zealand remains committed to reaching its 2050 net zero carbon emission target," the carrier's board chair Therese Walsh said in a statement. "Our work to transition away from fossil fuels continues, as does our advocacy for the goal and domestic regulatory and policy settings that will help facilitate Air New Zealand, and the wide aviation system in New Zealand m to do its part to mitigate climate change risks."