CHICAGO, Jan. 24, 2017 – For the second time since launching its industry-leading Eco-Skies program, United Airlines was named the Eco-Airline of the Year by Air Transport World (ATW) magazine. The award recognizes an airline in global commercial aviation for its environmental leadership as demonstrated by consistent and impactful environmental action within the company and in the industry. The magazine awarded United with the top honor for multiple initiatives in 2016 and prior years, including becoming the first U.S. airline to begin using commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regularly scheduled flights, marking a significant milestone in the industry by moving beyond demonstrations and test programs to the use of low-carbon biofuels for ongoing operations.
“Innovation and sustainability are twin engines that drive our progress as the most environmentally conscious airline in the world,” said Oscar Munoz, United’s chief executive officer. “From pioneering investments in biofuels to increasing efficiency and reducing waste to supporting a single global market based measure for carbon emissions, United is committed to innovating solutions that we hope will become the expectation for our industry, not the exception. And while we take great pride in this important recognition for our efforts, the measure of our success is the opinion of our children and grandchildren who will look back on our efforts and say that we lived up to our obligations to them in protecting the planet for future generations.”
United’s Eco-Skies program represents the company’s commitment to the environment and the actions taken every day to create a sustainable future. In addition to incorporating sustainable biofuel into its operations at Los Angeles International Airport, United’s recent environmental achievements include:
Investing $30 million in U.S.-based alternative aviation fuels developer Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., which represented the single largest investment by any airline globally in alternative fuels.
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Becoming the first U.S. airline to repurpose items from the carrier’s international premium
cabin amenity kits and partnering with Clean the World to donate hygiene products to those
in critical need.
Partnering with the Federal Aviation Administration to demonstrate the potential benefits of
new satellite-based technology for instrument landings that enable aircraft to use fuel more
efficiently on arrival and land at normal rates in challenging weather.
Continuing to replace its eligible ground equipment and service vehicles with cleaner,
electrically powered alternatives, with 47 percent of the fleet converted to date.
Becoming the first airline to fly with Boeing’s Split Scimitar winglets, which reduce fuel
consumption by up to 2 percent; United is the largest Split Scimitar winglet customer today.
Being the only U.S.-based airline named to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s “Leadership”
category for its environmental disclosure, with an A- Climate score in 2016.
Sourcing illy coffee’s internationally certified supply chain of farmers who earn abovemarket
prices in exchange for meeting quality and sustainability standards for the finest
coffee.
Offering Eco-Skies CarbonChoice, the airline industry’s only integrated carbon offset
program for corporate business travel and cargo shipments.
Additionally, as part of United’s commitment to operating an environmentally friendly and
responsible airline, the carrier added a carbon footprint measurement to its 2017 Global
Performance Commitment. United is committing to achieving a lower gross carbon footprint than
its two largest U.S.-based competitors this year, as measured by carbon dioxide-equivalent per
available seat-mile. If United does not meet the goals of its 2017 Global Performance
Commitment, the airline will compensate eligible corporate accounts.
For more information on United’s Eco-Skies commitment to the environment, visit
www.united.com/ecoskies.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports
across five continents. In 2016, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights
carrying more than 143 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive
route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 737 mainline aircraft and the
airline’s United Express partners operate 483 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of
Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For more
information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common
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stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the
symbol “UAL”.
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