Flight emissions calculator
Aviation emissions per passenger-kilometre depend on the aircraft, the load factor and the length of the flight. Short hops are worst per kilometre.
kg CO2 per passenger-km
Contrails and high-altitude effects roughly double the warming impact of the CO2 alone.
per tonne
Warming impact as CO2 equivalent
655.5kg
- Carbon dioxide alone
- 345.0
- Per passenger
- 172.5
- In tonnes of CO2 equivalent
- 0.6555
- Cost to offset
- 16.39
- Return trip impact
- 1311.0
- Equivalent car kilometres At 170 g CO2 per km for a typical petrol car.
- 2029
Show the working
- Flight distance = 1500
- Cabin = 1
- Emissions factor = 0.115
- Radiative forcing multiplier = 1.9
- Passengers travelling = 2
- Offset price = 25
- Per passenger = 1500 * 0.115 * 1 = 172.5
- Carbon dioxide alone = 172.5 * 2 = 345
- Warming impact as CO2 equivalent = 345 * 1.9 = 655.5
- In tonnes of CO2 equivalent = 655.5 / 1000 = 0.6555
- Cost to offset = 0.6555 * 25 = 16.3875
- Return trip impact = 655.5 * 2 = 1311
- Equivalent car kilometres = 345 / 0.17 = 2029.41
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- CO2 = distance x emissions factor x cabin multiplier
- CO2 equivalent = CO2 x radiative forcing index
Emissions factors vary by a factor of two between aircraft and route. The default is a mid-range short-haul figure.
The radiative forcing multiplier is genuinely uncertain; published values range from 1.7 to 3.