AEROMÉXICO

Sustainability Overview

Following the brutal travel shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mexico was one of the first countries to see a real bounce-back in terms of domestic travel after the early days of the virus. However, even as the immediate focus was business recovery and health safety, the COVID-19 pandemic gave Aeroméxico much food for thought about sustainability.

One of the first pillars for the airline is improving aircraft efficiency via a fleet renewal programme. In 2021, it announced an order for 24 new Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX jets, alongside plans to retire some of its Boeing 737-700s and Embraer E190s. In partnership with Neste, it also carried out three flights between the US and Mexico using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the first time in November 2021. The airline also began undertaking a range of other initiatives, such as phasing out single-use plastics from 2022.

Meet The Changemaker

Like many other airlines, while the mandate for sustainability comes from the top, the planning and execution is driven by a dedicated sustainability function. Xiomara Martin is Vice President Marketing & Sustainability at Aeroméxico. With over 20 years of experience across various functions, she leads the marketing and sustainability agenda at Aeroméxico by “adopting a client and environmental centric approach and executing the global strategy to maximise brand equity and minimise the company’s environmental impact”.

Xiomara says that Aeroméxico’s commitment to a greener future is exemplified by their fleet that emits 40% less CO2 than 15 years ago.

“This has been possible due to the Fleet Renovation Plan and the implementation of a fuel efficiency programme over more than 10 years that applies new technologies and optimises processes to generate even fewer emissions. These efforts have positioned us among the most efficient airlines in the industry, according to IATA”, she says.

Ultimately, what drives Xiomara’s work is the desire to give future generations a planet they can enjoy. In addition, she says she wishes to create the environmental and social wealth that will allow Mexico’s sustainable development. And on top of her agenda, of course, is proving that sustainable aviation is possible.

Source: Aeroméxico

Aeromexico uses a sensible pictorial format to tell people about their green initiatives

Opportunities And Challenges

Xiomara admits that now more than ever passengers consider the sustainability aspect of flying. Which is why Aeroméxico’s efforts to promote ESG give them the opportunity to be the airline of choice. However, since the aviation industry is highly regulated and susceptible to the climate, social, cultural, economic, and political conditions of every country, this makes implementing a sustainability policy more difficult, but also more exciting.

As Mexico’s legacy carrier, Aeroméxico has specific goals such as making SAF more readily available and cost-effective, and promoting a culture of sustainability with their suppliers, associates, and passengers. Xiomara’s aim is to get governments, suppliers, employees, and passengers involved to build a more sustainable aviation ecosystem together. For her, flying towards a better future involves not only decarbonization efforts but also waste reduction and sustainable travel packages that not only benefit the environment, but also the communities in which the airline operates.

Like many other airlines, Xiomara says one of the major focus areas for Aeroméxico is to continue developing SAF “in every region according to each country's situation, guaranteeing the creation of environmental, social, and economic wealth, while also educating our passengers on the reduction of emissions from these types of fuels.”

For Xiomara, it is of vital importance to employ a sustainable culture within the organisation.

“Identifying sustainability leaders, giving them a voice, recognition, the power to transform, as well as support is important”, she says. “They are the ones who promote sustainable values throughout the organisation while generating projects of environmental and social value.”

Looking Ahead

In May 2022, Aeroméxico participated in SkyTeam’s Sustainable Flight Challenge – a call to participating airlines to use everything at their disposal to operate a single flight with minimal impact on the environment.

Aeroméxico stepped up to the Sustainable Flight Challenge by operating a flight from Mexico City to Vancouver on May 10. During the flight, it adopted a range of techniques to reduce the carbon footprint of passengers on board.

Measures included providing free, shared minibus transport to the airport to reduce the use of individual cars; creating a more sustainable onboard menu; handing out reusable cups for in-flight beverages to cut the amount of single-use plastics; and distributing blankets made from recycled plastic bottles. Aeroméxico also agreed during the flight to double each passenger donation to its Vuela Verde voluntary carbon-offsetting programme, which supports sustainable projects throughout Mexico.

Aeroméxico also publishes a yearly sustainability report that conforms to international standards like those of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) which guarantees transparency in reporting. In addition, the airline communicates their sustainable initiatives through social media campaigns. It also responds to the requirements of institutional investors and suppliers through the different questionnaires of international organisations like the Carbon Disclosure Project or the CSA, with the objective of providing utmost transparency in the performance of environmental, social, and risk management.

My motivation is to bring the industry to a point so that the wonders of air travel can be enjoyed without detriment to the climate. My personal mission is to be on course to deliver this by the time I retire – and I don’t want to be too old when I retire! So we need to act quickly.

Carrie Harris Director of Sustainability at British Airways