Riccardo Liguori Not all flights on the same route have the same carbon footprint. IATA and Chooose are teaming up to give travelers and companies precise, verified emissions data.
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It’s a tempting assumption: two flights, same route—say, Rome to New York—must have the exact same carbon footprint. But that’s a myth, and the reality can be surprisingly different. The airline, the aircraft model, how full the cabin is, even the precise flight path can all make a measurable difference in CO₂ output.
Bringing some clarity to this murky picture is the goal of a new partnership between the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Norwegian tech platform Chooose.
Turning data into actionable insights
Under the agreement, IATA’s CO2 Connect—its own carbon emissions calculator—will be integrated directly into Chooose’s platform. This means more than 30 of Chooose’s airline partners will soon be able to offer passengers and corporate clients precise, route-specific emission estimates, based not on broad averages but on real operational data.
CO2 Connect’s methodology is built on fuel consumption figures provided directly by over 70 airlines worldwide. It follows industry standards like IATA RP 1726 and ISO 14083, and it even factors in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The result is a much finer-grained—and arguably more honest—picture of the carbon cost of flying.
Demand for transparency is growing
If this sounds like a niche feature for eco-conscious travelers, think again. IATA’s own research from April 2025 found that 40% of passengers—especially business travelers—regularly check the emissions linked to their flights. This collaboration is a direct answer to that growing appetite for verified, transparent reporting.
“For years, Chooose has supported airlines, cargo carriers, and travel agencies with flexible access to emissions estimates, enabling their SAF programs and customer-facing applications,” said Joseph Beaudin, CEO of Chooose. “Adding IATA CO2 Connect gives our partners access to an IATA dataset that keeps improving as more airlines report operational inputs and SAF usage.”
More than curiosity — a tool for decision makers
While it’s easy to imagine this appealing to the environmentally aware leisure traveler, the implications run deeper. Corporate travel managers and freight forwarders increasingly need reliable emissions data not just for compliance, but to track and reduce the environmental impact of their operations. Without accurate numbers, any attempt at reduction is little more than guesswork.
As Beaudin’s comments suggest, this is as much about infrastructure as it is about public awareness. Providing clear, accurate figures is the first step in enabling customers to track, reduce, and report their carbon footprint.
IATA’s stance: accuracy above all
Frederic Leger, IATA’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Products & Services, was equally clear about the tool’s uniqueness: “IATA CO2 Connect is the only carbon emissions calculator for travel based on airlines’ operational data. We want IATA CO2 Connect data to be as widely available as possible so that travel managers can do their jobs with the most accurate information available. Partnering with Chooose is a key part of this strategy.”
The message here is simple but important: two flights on the same route are rarely the same in their environmental cost. And now, thanks to this collaboration, passengers and businesses alike will have a better way to see—and act on—that difference.
