American Airlines’ Commitment to a Low-Carbon Future: Ambitious Climate Goals and Collaborative Efforts

Originally published in American Airlines' 2023 Sustainability Report

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2024 / At American, we believe that being a competitive, resilient airline - and one that will continue to care for people on life's journey for generations to come - requires helping to drive the operational, policy and technological changes needed to advance the transition to a low-carbon aviation future.

American has set what we believe are ambitious climate goals, and in 2022 we became the first airline globally to set externally validated, science-based 2035 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Our strategy to reach these targets focuses on running an ever more fuel-efficient operation, primarily by operating more fuel-efficient aircraft that are increasingly powered by low-carbon fuel.

While we are committed to taking steps within our own operations, the reality is that we cannot rely on today's technologies to achieve the progress we need to make in reducing our emissions in the future. Making the transition to low- and no-carbon aviation depends on a range of technologies that are not yet at commercial scale - or haven't yet been invented. That's why a key part of our climate strategy is collaborating with business partners, startups, scientists and innovators who are pioneering these technologies. Those collaborations, in turn, are driving our investments and catalytic commitments to help advance and scale aviation's decarbonization solutions.

Our Climate Strategy

Our aim is to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. To drive progress, we have set an intermediate target to reduce GHG emissions intensity by 45% by 2035, relative to a 2019 baseline. This includes both direct emissions (Scope 1) - primarily from the combustion of jet fuel used in flight - and the indirect emissions (Scope 3) from the production of the jet fuel we use and the consumption of jet fuel used by our contracted regional carriers.

Our strategy is focused on driving progress across several key levers - some of which we have the ability to influence directly, and some of which will require action, collaboration and innovation within our industry, across sectors and by policymakers.

Underpinning our strategy is our analysis of the climate-related risks and opportunities facing our company. We initially conducted the analysis in 2020, and, in early 2023, we further expanded and deepened it by incorporating 1.5°C-aligned scenarios, consistent with the ambition of the Paris Agreement, in our assessment of both physical and transition risks. This includes the International Energy Agency Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, which we selected because it includes aviation-specific narratives and milestones. For a detailed discussion of our process and findings, see page 61.