(Posted 11th December 2025)
The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA)
and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to promote the IATA CO2 Connect emissions calculator among their 16
members and carriers across Africa. AASA is the first airline association to formally support
IATA CO2 Connect.
Using the emissions calculator, airlines and their corporate partners will be able to access
trusted emissions data calculated using real operational data directly provided by
airlines—including aircraft type-specific fuel consumption—and calculated using a globally
standardized methodology.
“IATA CO2 Connect addresses airlines’ and their customers’ need to accurately measure
CO2 emissions. By using verified operational data and calculated using an internationally
recognised methodology, it removes the potential for inaccurate reporting. This also has
bottom-line implications in markets such as South Africa, where a carbon tax is applied to
domestic aviation,” said Aaron Munetsi, CEO of AASA.
As part of the agreement, IATA will provide technical and operational support to AASA and
its member airlines.
“Travelers want to understand how their flight choices affect the environment and want
assurance that their decisions are based on trusted data. This is important not just for
personal travel, but also for corporations that need to track emissions and comply with
regulations. We welcome the strong support from AASA in helping to onboard more African
carriers that contribute fuel burn data and in making this data available to passengers across
the continent,” added Kamil Al Awadhi, Regional Vice President Africa and Middle East of
IATA.
Globally, a growing number of airlines are joining the CO2 Connect program. To date, more
than 150 airlines are contributing operational data and more than 90 airlines are providing
fuel burn data. Earlier this month Kenya Airways became the latest African airline to
contribute fuel burn data to CO2 Connect.
Airlines, travel agents, online platforms and corporate travel managers—including AMEX
GBT and Amadeus—are increasingly using IATA CO2 Connect to provide travellers with
trusted emissions data at the point of booking, which enables better-informed journey
planning and supports organisations’ emissions accounting.
IATA CO2 Connect complies with the ISO 14083 standard, aligning it with the common
methodology for collecting and reporting greenhouse gas data across the transport and
logistics industry. The emissions calculator is also now able to account for carbon emissions
reductions related to the usage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a key lever for airlines to
reach their target of net-zero carbon emissions.
“This means that African airlines that adopt CO2 Connect will be ready to account for
reduced emissions as SAF becomes more widely available and affordable in Africa and
globally,” concluded Mr Munetsi.
