Colombian flag carrier Avianca Airlines has been awarded one of the highest ratings for sustainability by international organisation the Carbon Disclosure Project.

The carrier’s B rating was confirmed this week on World Environment Day and follows a comprehensive assessment by the organisation on its governance, strategy and impact.

In addition, the airline announced that it has received ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System certification for its administrative buildings in Bogota and aircraft maintenance and ground support equipment in Medellin, Ecuador and El Salvador.

Felipe Andrés Gómez, director of institutional relations and sustainability, said: “At Avianca, we are aware that sustainability needs to happen today.

“We have the challenge of reducing our environmental impact, without affecting operational costs and access to our services in a region where flying is not a luxury but a necessity.

“We have reduced emissions per passenger, implemented robust offsetting and fuel efficiency strategies, and added state-of-the-art technology, precisely to be recognised as one of the airlines in Latin America with the best Carbon Disclosure Project rating. All this while expanding access to our services for more and more travellers.”

Avianca’s environmental initiatives cover efforts to reduce its environmental footprint through investment in new technologies, infrastructure and efficient operations, as well as the implementation of strategies to offset emissions.

In 2022 the offset amounted to 735,000 tonnes of CO2, corresponding to 90% of the emissions generated by its domestic operations in Colombia.

Avianca has also partnered with CHOOOSE, a platform that has allowed both customers and its employees to directly offset their flights.

The airline prevented the emission of 59,549 tonnes of CO2 through fuel efficient software implementation and increased the capacity of more than 90 of the  A320 fleet aircraft with the reconfiguration project, resulting in a 15.35% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger transported.

In 2022, 29% of the total energy was supplied through the use of solar energy in the maintenance hangars.  This year, the company recycled 465 tons of non-hazardous operational waste, which was used by professional recyclers, thereby maximizing the company’s efforts in waste management.

Avianca has reaffirmed its commitment to being a sustainable airline that, under its HOY (which translated to Spanish means ‘now’) sustainability platform.