Music and entertainment industry private aircraft charter broker Equinox Charter and its sister company Equinox Travel have launched a new sustainability scheme called Equinox Enhanced Sustainability Initiative (EESI).
The companies say the initiative is designed to analyse and compare the sustainability efforts of aircraft operators. Clients can now request bespoke and market-tailored sustainability assessments of their preferred airlines or private aircraft operators from a flight operations perspective.
The initiative helps clients make informed aircraft and operator choices to mitigate and minimise their carbon and non-carbon emissions, helping reduce the environmental impact of their touring or corporate travel.
Ian Patterson, CEO of Equinox, said: “We’re not naïve to the impact of aviation on the environment. However, as providers of both commercial and private travel, and an intermediary between travellers and aircraft operators, we feel Equinox is well-positioned to encourage responsible choices when it comes to flying and to drive confidence and assurance by those choices.”
The company’s approach involves varying levels of operator analysis conducted by Equinox’s Sustainable Flight Operations Consultant, Douglas Corbett. Corbett’s experience as a private jet and airline instructor pilot allows him to work closely with the specialist travel team in offering this service to their clients across both commercial airline travel and business aviation.
“The day-to-day impact of flying doesn’t just need mitigating, but also minimising. This is why Equinox and I have set out to examine and assess the primary source of flight emissions: the flight operation itself,” said Corbett.
“Carbon offsetting and SAFs can go a long way, but we also want to be able to assure clients that their preferred operators are doing whatever they can to tackle actual flight emissions at the point of origin.
“We believe sustainable aviation requires a ‘belt and braces’ approach. Every detail, from fuel burn to raw material use, has an impact on emissions. When auditing operators, we rigorously examine the technical and non-technical aspects of flight operations ‘in the field’, and help our clients communicate the tangible action taken by the operators they choose to work with.”
Elliot Bottomley, Managing Director of Equinox Charter, added: “Following a tough couple of years, we’re now seeing a huge appetite for international travel. For many of our clients, particularly touring artists, summer is shaping up to be extremely busy.
“Some artists have already embarked on their world tours, and their measures around sustainable accommodation, ground transportation, and even food consumption, are heavily publicised. However, beyond offsetting, there seem to be no tangible results when it comes to flying. Simply not flying is not the answer.
“Through our Enhanced Sustainability Initiative, we will use in-depth operator insight to empower clients to consider ESG credentials in their decision-making, alongside usual factors such as safety, price and reputation. The three-tiered approach ensures clients can tailor the depth of assessment according to their requirements.”
