Home / Transport / Flight

Carbon footprint of Flight

✈️
1 km flight = 0.46 kg CO2e (?)

This equals approximately:

🐄 0.1 servings of 10g protein Beef (beef herd)
(Proteins) 🍌 0.5 kilograms Bananas
(Fruits) 🚗 2.8 kilometers driving a petrol car
(Cars) 🚶 3.0 kilometers walking
(Transport) 🚌 4.3 kilometers traveling by bus
(Transport) 🚲 6.0 kilometers cycling
(Transport) 🔌 9.7 kilometers driving an electric car
(Cars) 📺 12.9 hours streaming video
(Streaming) 🚂 13.0 kilometers traveling by train
(Transport) 🤖 121.8 queries using ChatGPT
(AI) 🔍 2,313.5 searches searching on Google
(Search Engine)

Can I offset this?

While carbon offsetting is an option, it's generally better to choose more sustainable alternatives when available. Offsetting should be your last resort after reducing emissions.

Learn more about carbon offsetting →

Footprints

Average Flight
0.46 CO2 (kg)/km
Medium-haul First Class Flight
1.42 CO2 (kg)/km
Long-haul First Class Flight
1.42 CO2 (kg)/km
Long-haul Business Flight
1.03 CO2 (kg)/km
Medium-haul Premium Economy Flight
0.57 CO2 (kg)/km
Long-haul Premium Economy Flight
0.57 CO2 (kg)/km
Medium-haul Business Flight
0.49 CO2 (kg)/km
Extreme-short Flight
0.48 CO2 (kg)/km
Long-haul Economy Flight
0.35 CO2 (kg)/km
Medium-haul Economy Flight
0.32 CO2 (kg)/km

Related Activities

Walking (Walking)
0.16 CO2 (kg)/km
Average Local Bus (Bus Journey)
0.11 CO2 (kg)/km
Cycling (Cycling)
0.08 CO2 (kg)/km
National Rail (Train Journey)
0.04 CO2 (kg)/km
Option CO2 (kg) PerRange
Average Flight 0.46 km 0.00 - 20000.00 km
Medium-haul First Class Flight 1.42 km 701.00 - 3700.00 km
Long-haul First Class Flight 1.42 km 3701.00 - 20000.00 km
Long-haul Business Flight 1.03 km 3701.00 - 20000.00 km
Medium-haul Premium Economy Flight 0.57 km 701.00 - 3700.00 km
Long-haul Premium Economy Flight 0.57 km 3701.00 - 20000.00 km
Medium-haul Business Flight 0.49 km 701.00 - 3700.00 km
Extreme-short Flight 0.48 km 0.00 - 700.00 km
Long-haul Economy Flight 0.35 km 3701.00 - 20000.00 km
Medium-haul Economy Flight 0.32 km 701.00 - 3700.00 km

Related Activities

Option CO2 (kg) PerRange
Walking (Walking) 0.16 km
Average Local Bus (Bus Journey) 0.11 km
Cycling (Cycling) 0.08 km
National Rail (Train Journey) 0.04 km

Share this calculation

Explanation

Flights produce significant CO2 emissions, with impact varying by distance and altitude.

Sources

DEFRA (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero), 2024.
Stanford University: Radiative Forcing Associated with Emissions from Air Travel.
RFI factor of 3.0 applied to account for high-altitude effects.
Used following article as inspiration: <a href="https://flygrn.com/blog/carbon-emission-factors-used-by-flygrn" target="_blank">https://flygrn.com/blog/carbon-emission-factors-used-by-flygrn</a>
All sources accessed: 5 February 2025