Carbon emissions from scheduled Indian carriers touched 14.6 million tonnes in 2015: Govt tells LS

Carbon emissions from scheduled Indian carriers rose to 14.63 million tonnes in 2015 on the back of growth in traffic and introduction of new routes, the government said on Thursday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said various proactive initiatives have been taken to offset the carbon emissions.

"The carbon emission for Indian scheduled operators from domestic and international operations has increased from 11.95 million tonnes in 2013 to 14.63 million tonnes in 2015. "Similarly, for foreign registered airlines, it has increased from 3.68 million tonnes in 2013 to 3.76 million tonnes in 2015. The increase is attributed to growth in traffic movements and introduction of new routes," Sinha said.

According to the minister, the carbon emissions figure for Indian scheduled operators is a limited quantitative data of scheduled operators and does not include non-scheduled operators.

Hence, it cannot be compared with other countries, he added. Aviation regulator DGCA has put in place guidelines to reduce carbon emissions for airlines and airport operators through various measures such as fuel management, use of renewable energy and restriction on unwanted dead weight on board.