Air China Limited: CO₂ emissions 2014-2022

In 2022, Air China Limited emitted 15.04 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), representing a slight drop from the previous year. Between 2014 and 2019, the Chinese flag carrier increased its CO₂ emissions by 36 percent, peaking at 23.5 million metric tons in 2018.

Aviation industry emissions worldwide

The global carbon dioxide emissions from commercial aviation followed an upward trend from 2009 to 2019, reaching over 900 million metric tons prior to the pandemic. In terms of global commercial aviation routes, the Intra-Asia/Pacific region contributed to the highest share of aviation CO₂ emissions in 2019, with 199 million metric tons of CO₂ produced that year. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global aviation industry, thereby breaking the trend of increasing CO₂ emissions. However, in the future, under a business-as-usual scenario, the projected CO₂ emissions from the aviation industry in 2050 are estimated to reach 1.8 billion metric tons, double the level in 2019.

China aviation industry emissions

In 2020, China was the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, with 10.7 billion metric tons of emissions. In terms of CO₂ emissions from China’s aviation industry, around 138.8 million metric tons were reported in 2019, and it is estimated that around 371.6 million metric tons of CO2 will be reached in 2050. In 2019, Beijing Capital International Airport ranked first in CO2 emissions in the Asia-Pacific region and sixth in CO2 emissions among airports worldwide, producing 11.4 million metric tons of CO₂.