One flight, several answers. The carbon footprint of the same journey can change depending on the country, calculator and methodology used, DKNews.kz reports.
For passengers, that creates confusion. For airlines, it means more IT systems, reporting requirements, audits and compliance costs.
Nearly Half of Travelers Check Flight Emissions
An IATA survey conducted in April 2026 found that 48% of travelers regularly check flight-related carbon emissions when booking. Business travelers pay particularly close attention.
CO₂ is gradually becoming a booking factor alongside price, departure time and baggage allowance. Corporate customers also need this data for climate and ESG reporting.
Yet there is no universal answer to a simple question: “How much CO₂ did my flight generate?” Different systems treat aircraft type, passenger load, cabin class, cargo and flight duration differently.
Europe Is Creating Three Regulatory Frameworks
The European Union, the United Kingdom and Switzerland have introduced rules designed to give passengers access to flight emissions information. The goal is reasonable, but the three jurisdictions do not use a unified calculation method.
IATA argues that airlines may have to calculate emissions from the same flight several times. The association warns of regulatory fragmentation, administrative pressure and additional costs.
“The EU, Switzerland and the UK have all introduced regulations to ensure that passengers have access to information about how much carbon dioxide their air travel is generating. Although well-intended, this lacks a unified approach to CO2 calculations. Conversely, this presents an opportunity for authorities to work together with the aviation sector to agree on a standardized mechanism (such as CO2 Connect). Such collaboration could pave the way for a standardized approach by regulators globally,” said Michael Schneider, IATA's Assistant Director of Sustainability Programs.
Schneider wants regulators and the aviation industry to agree on a common mechanism. IATA is promoting its CO2 Connect calculator as a ready-made foundation.
How CO2 Connect Works
IATA launched CO2 Connect in 2022. The calculator now draws on operational data from 110 airlines.
These carriers record the fuel consumed by their aircraft. The model considers aircraft type, flight duration, passenger load factors, cabin configuration and commercial cargo carried in the hold.
It can also reflect emissions reductions associated with sustainable aviation fuel. First, the system calculates the flight’s total CO₂ emissions.
It then divides those emissions between passengers and belly cargo. The passenger share is allocated across individual travelers according to cabin class.
A business-class passenger is generally assigned a larger share. A bigger seat occupies more space, reducing the number of people the aircraft can carry.
Higher load factors have the opposite effect. The aircraft’s fuel consumption is divided among more passengers, lowering emissions per person.
CO2 Connect also focuses on flight time rather than distance alone. This allows the model to account for prevailing winds, travel direction and differences in flight duration on the same route.
“Real Data” Does Not Mean Kilogram-Level Precision
IATA describes CO2 Connect as the most accurate emissions calculator available. That remains the assessment of the industry association that developed and markets the product.
Primary airline data offers a stronger basis than a theoretical “average aircraft” model. But nobody can know a future flight’s exact fuel consumption before departure.
Passenger numbers, weather diversions, holding patterns and airport congestion can all change the final result. CO2 Connect is therefore an operational-data-based estimate, not a live fuel meter.
The calculator uses airline-provided fuel consumption by aircraft type, load factors, schedules and cabin configurations. Some information is updated monthly, while fuel consumption data is generally refreshed annually.
There is another major limitation. CO2 Connect measures carbon dioxide released by burning jet fuel but excludes emissions from producing and transporting that fuel.
It also excludes aviation’s non-CO₂ climate effects, including the potential impact of contrails. The figure displayed to passengers should not be treated as the flight’s complete climate impact.
Why IATA Wants One Global Standard
IATA represents more than 370 airlines accounting for about 85% of global air traffic. One international standard would be cheaper for its members than multiple national formulas.
An airline could integrate the calculation once across its website, mobile application and booking platform. Travel agencies, corporate customers and regulators could then use the same data.
Conflicting methodologies also create a reputational risk. If an airline reports 200 kilograms of CO₂ for a flight while a European platform shows 280 kilograms, passengers cannot tell which figure to trust.
That opens the door to greenwashing. A company could simply select the calculator producing the lowest number and use it in marketing.
A common formula would reduce such manipulation. But its methodology must remain transparent, verifiable and open to independent audit.
What It Means for Kazakhstan
Kazakh airlines will not remain outside this dispute. Air Astana is an IATA member, while Air Astana and SCAT are among the Kazakh carriers permitted to operate flights to the European Union.
When selling tickets to European destinations, they must comply with the relevant market requirements. Even if Kazakhstan does not introduce identical labeling rules, foreign regulations will affect booking systems, corporate reporting and cooperation with international partners.
For Kazakhstan, which wants to expand its role as an air transit hub between Europe and Asia, compatible standards are a competitive issue. The more formulas airlines must support, the more expensive it becomes to add routes and serve international customers.
Kazakhstan should not, however, automatically accept a methodology designed by the aviation industry itself. Regulators should demand transparent assumptions, independent verification and a clear distinction between direct CO₂ emissions and a flight’s wider climate impact.
Who Has the Stronger Case?
IATA is right to challenge a system in which one flight receives several incompatible carbon estimates. Passengers cannot make informed decisions if every ticket seller presents its own version of the truth.
But standardization should not hand full control to the industry. Airlines want accurate reporting, yet they also have a commercial interest in displaying a smaller climate footprint.
A credible global framework should involve IATA, regulators, scientists and independent auditors. It should disclose its assumptions, update its data regularly and identify the climate effects excluded from the calculation.
Otherwise, the push for transparency will produce the opposite result. A CO₂ figure will appear next to the ticket price, but passengers still will not know whether to trust it.
