Sustainability In The Air How Finnair celebrated its centenary with 100 sustainability initiatives
In this episode, we speak with Eveliina Huurre, Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Finnair, who shares insights about the airline’s approach to sustainability and their ambitious targets to reduce emissions.
Huurre discusses:
- The employee engagement initiative that yielded 300 sustainability ideas, with 100 selected for implementation during Finnair’s centenary celebrations, ranging from small cultural changes to more substantial investments in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
- Finnair’s science-based target to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 34.5% by 2033 (using 2023 as the baseline), translating to approximately 13% net reduction in absolute CO2 emissions, despite expected growth.
- The central role of SAF in Finnair’s sustainability strategy, with plans to increase its usage from 0.4% in 2023 to 1.8% in 2024, and to double voluntary SAF purchases in 2025.
- Finnair’s approach to operational efficiencies, including fuel-saving strategies like optimised aircraft allocation, pilot training for fuel efficiency and single engine taxiing.
- Innovative customer engagement through a simple SAF contribution option in the booking process, allowing passengers to contribute between €3-15 per flight, with early adoption exceeding expectations.
- The importance of industry collaboration at national, European and global levels, working with organisations like IATA, oneworld alliance (on joint SAF purchases), and A4E on policy frameworks to enable the energy transition in aviation.
Huurre emphasises that making aviation sustainable isn’t about “who gets there first, but how we do this together,” highlighting Finnair’s approach to the challenges and opportunities in advancing sustainable air travel.
If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Grace Cheung, General Manager of Sustainability at Cathay, who shares insights about the airline’s “greener together” approach to sustainable aviation. Check it out here.
Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.
Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.
Links & More:
Finnair announces 100 sustainability efforts to mark 100 years - Inflight
6 highlights of our sustainability work from last year - Finnair