The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says airlines are expecting a record number of passengers worldwide this year. The current record of 4.5 billion annual passengers, set in 2019, is expected to be exceeded by almost half a billion.
The need to fly is growing and the same applies for business flying. Pressure to travel smarter and more environmentally friendly is increasing more than ever when flying for business. At the same time flight shame has been prevalent for years, especially in the Nordic countries.
Except that the term “flight shame” is misunderstood. The shame is not about flying, but about the emissions. We should rather talk about emissions shame. Flying is nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you do it with sensible route choices, utilizing regional airports and using the right size of aircraft to meet your needs. This substantially reduces the environmental burden and enables the efficient use of renewable aviation fuels.
Mistakenly named ‘flight shame’, emissions shame is actually a good thing for the whole aviation business, as it helps to develop the industry and flying. It will create demand in the market for more flexible and sustainable operators, especially in the business travel sector where travel is not an option but mandatory.
The revolution in towards more sustainable short-haul flying will be supported by business travel where trips are often regional. As the trend becomes more widespread, it is only a matter of time before fast and convenient air travel solutions are adopted by consumers as well.
Roope Kekäläinen, CEO
