Qatar Airways Cargo announced that it has launched a cargo carbon emission calculator as part of its environmental sustainability and decarbonisation plans. 

It noted that in November last year, the carrier became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and has since been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers.

"Qatar Airways Cargo customers interested in knowing the environmental impact of their shipments being transported on the airline’s network, now have access to this simple carbon emission calculator," it said, adding that the calculator quickly determines the shipment's total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference.

The user simply needs to enter the shipment's origin, destination, flight date, and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions.

Qatar Airways Cargo said the calculator is the "first step" towards developing a fully integrated cargo carbon offsetting solution for Qatar Airways Cargo's customers.

It said eventually this information tool will be integrated into the online booking process, and customers will be offered a selection of carbon offsetting project options to choose from.

"Following our joint Qatar Airways Cargo-IATA project pilot to launch a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments, Qatar Airways Cargo is now proud to unveil our Emission Calculator," said Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo.

"To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo. This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview their shipments' carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA," Halleux added.