The most eco-friendly airlines, according to Atmosfair

Flying isn't great for the environment, but some airlines are better than others at keeping their carbon footprint as minimal as possible. Which is the most CO2 efficient? Environmental group atomsfair says its 2018 Airline Index has the answer. The German organisation has ranked the carbon emissions of global airlines per km and per passenger, calculated by examining the types of aircraft the carrier favors, seat and freight capacity and occupancy on the flight -- plus what kind of engines and winglets are used. Ranking highest are airlines that squeeze as many passengers as possible into aircraft and those that favor up-to-date airplanes that use less fuel, chiefly the Boeing 787-9, Airbus A350-900 and the A320neo First on the list is British carrier TUI Airways, with a 79.3 efficiency rating. Atmosfair says TUI's near-maximum seating capacities helped propel it to the top. At number two in the overall ranking is Chilean Brazilian carrier LATAM, which is known for using efficient aircraft. Third place goes to China West Air, a regional Chinese airline that serves only short and medium distance routes, but with dense seating and high occupancy levels. Atmosfair says the objective of the report, compiled using data from bodies such as the ICAO and the IATA, is "to make climate efficiency a factor of competition among the airlines."<br/>