Sustainable Business Aviation: What Concrete Solutions Are Available Today ? 

Aviation remains a major challenge for companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. However, the issue is no longer limited to carbon offsetting. Sustainable aviation fuels, aircraft selection, load-factor optimisation and accurate emissions measurement are now among the tools available. In 2026, global SAF production is expected to reach around 2.4 million tonnes. This represents just 0.8% of total aviation fuel consumption. Therefore, the gap to large-scale deployment therefore remains considerable. 

For companies using sustainable business aviation, the question has become more concrete. Procurement, finance and CSR departments increasingly seek to document the impact of business travel. They also want to identify measures that can deliver genuine results. Meanwhile, European non-financial reporting rules were revised again in 2026. The new standards aim to simplify reporting obligations while maintaining usable environmental information. 

There is no single solution capable of making a private flight “carbon neutral” through an accounting mechanism alone. Instead, a credible approach involves several measures. Companies can reduce travel where possible, use lower-carbon fuels, optimise operations and account separately for residual emissions.

Why Sustainability Is Becoming an Issue for Business Aviation Customers 

Business aviation occupies a specific place in corporate mobility policies. It meets requirements for productivity, connectivity and flexibility, but its emissions must now be incorporated into a broader approach to business travel. 

For a company, the first step is to establish precisely what it wants to measure. Emissions associated with business travel fall in particular under Scope 3, within the “business travel” category of climate reporting frameworks. European ESRS standards also provide for the disclosure of significant Scope 3 emissions by category for companies within their scope. 

Regulatory Pressure and CSRD Reporting 

The CSRD has significantly changed the way large European companies approach environmental performance. The first companies concerned applied the new rules to their 2024 financial year. Their reports were then published in 2025. In July 2026, the European Commission adopted revised ESRS standards as part of the simplification of the framework. 

This does not mean that all companies must now produce the same level of reporting. The scope of the CSRD has been narrowed as part of the European simplification measures. For companies that remain subject to the rules, however, the quality of environmental data is becoming increasingly important. 

Business travel can therefore form part of a company’s inventory of indirect emissions. ESRS E1 identifies business travel among the Scope 3 categories to be considered when they are material. 

Therefore, reliable flight data is particularly useful for companies that regularly use business aviation. It can help meet reporting requirements where applicable. It can also support an effective emissions-reduction strategy.

The first question should therefore not be “How can I offset my flights?” but rather “What is the actual footprint of my business travel and which measures can reduce it?” 

Growing Expectations from Internal and External Stakeholders 

Regulation is only one part of the issue. In addition, senior management, investors, customers, employees and procurement teams are paying greater attention to corporate environmental policies.

This shift is particularly visible when it comes to business travel. For example, a credible CSR policy requires a clear understanding of business travel. Companies need to know why journeys are necessary, how often they occur and how their impact is monitored.

The issue also affects corporate communications. Claiming that a journey is “zero carbon” simply because an offset has been purchased can be misleading if the emissions generated by the flight have still been released into the atmosphere. 

A more robust approach is to distinguish between the different stages: measure emissions, reduce them as much as possible, then address residual emissions. This hierarchy helps prevent genuine reductions from being confused with carbon offsetting mechanisms. 

Therefore, companies can build mobility policies that reflect their operational constraints. This approach is more relevant than seeking a single environmental solution for every flight.

The Concrete Solutions Available Today 

Companies now have several tools at their disposal to reduce or better manage the environmental impact of business aviation. However, they do not all have the same effect. 

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) acts directly on the fuel’s life-cycle emissions. Aircraft selection and load-factor optimisation can reduce fuel consumption relative to the mission. Offsetting addresses residual emissions, but does not change the fact that the flight itself generated emissions. 

The priority is therefore to combine the different measures rather than treat them as alternatives. 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Availability and the Actual Additional Cost 

SAF is currently one of the main immediately available tools for reducing the climate impact of air transport. The European ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires a minimum share of SAF in fuel supplied at European airports. The requirement started at 2% from 2025 and will rise to 6% in 2030. Ultimately, the trajectory aims to reach 70% by 2050.

However, this regulation does not mean that every private flight can be refuelled with an equivalent quantity of SAF. Availability still depends on infrastructure, suppliers, airports and the operations concerned. 

Globally, production remains far below projected demand. IATA estimates that in 2026, SAF will account for around 0.8% of global aviation fuel consumption. To meet long-term decarbonisation objectives, production would need to reach approximately 500 million tonnes per year by 2050. 

Cost is another obstacle. Moreover, cost remains another obstacle. IATA estimates that the average price of SAF in 2025 was significantly higher than conventional fossil-based aviation fuel. Additional costs were particularly high in some regulated markets.

For a business aviation customer, SAF should therefore be considered as an option that can be incorporated into a quotation when operational availability allows. It is also important to verify the methodology used to account for the associated emissions reduction.

Across its entire life cycle, the fuel’s environmental benefit can be assessed rather than simply at the point of combustion. ICAO also provides a specific methodology for calculating the life-cycle emissions of fuels eligible under the CORSIA framework.

Avico, for its part, states that it is progressively integrating environmental criteria into its chartering decisions and offering options related to sustainable aviation fuels. 

Carbon Offsetting: What It Covers and What It Does Not 

Private jet carbon offsetting takes place after the flight’s emissions have been measured. In practice, companies finance projects or mechanisms designed to compensate for a specified quantity of emissions. These initiatives follow defined rules and standards.

It should not, however, be confused with physically eliminating the emissions produced by the aircraft. The CO₂ released during the flight has still entered the atmosphere. 

This distinction is essential when developing a business aviation CSR strategy. However, carbon offsetting does not replace direct reductions. Companies still need to reduce fuel consumption, use lower-carbon fuels and optimise operations.

International schemes such as CORSIA also distinguish between reductions associated with the use of eligible fuels and mechanisms based on emissions units. The ICAO has established specific monitoring, reporting and verification rules for these mechanisms. 

For a company, a credible approach should therefore make it possible to identify separately: 

• emissions generated by flights; 

• reductions achieved through the potential use of SAF; 

• residual emissions; 

• any carbon offsetting operations financed. 

Avico offers its customers a voluntary carbon offsetting solution and states that it enables them to measure and manage their emissions as part of their CSR strategy. 

The objective is therefore less about presenting a flight as “carbon neutral” than about accurately documenting what has been measured, reduced and offset. 

Aircraft Selection and Load-Factor Optimisation 

The third lever is operational. Not all aircraft consume the same amount of fuel, and the number of passengers carried has a significant impact on the footprint per traveller. 

The environmental impact of private jets should therefore be assessed according to the actual mission. For example, an oversized aircraft may consume unnecessarily large amounts of fuel when carrying only four passengers. A better-suited aircraft can reduce this impact.

The decision should also take into account distance, number of passengers, baggage and airport constraints. The objective is not necessarily to systematically select the smallest aircraft, but rather the aircraft that best matches the actual requirement. 

Load factor is another important parameter. In addition, load factor plays an important role. When several passengers share a chartered aircraft, fuel consumption is distributed across the group. As a result, the footprint per passenger decreases.

The principle is therefore straightforward: avoid unnecessary flights, choose the right aircraft and maximise its capacity wherever possible. 

For companies, this approach can be integrated directly into their booking policies. Environmental performance then becomes one decision-making criterion alongside price, travel time, availability and operational constraints. 

How Avico Supports a More Responsible Approach 

A sustainable business aviation strategy also requires access to usable data. Without measuring emissions, it becomes difficult to compare missions, establish a trajectory or monitor progress. 

Avico states that it integrates environmental criteria into its selection of charter solutions and offers mechanisms enabling customers to measure and offset their emissions. 

Reporting Emissions Associated with Your Flights 

Reporting is the starting point for a structured environmental policy. 

For each journey, several factors can be taken into account: route, aircraft type, fuel consumption or the corresponding estimate, number of passengers and any use of SAF. 

The benefit is the ability to progressively build a historical record. For example, a company operating several dozen flights per year can identify its most frequent routes. It can also analyse the aircraft used and its main sources of emissions.

This information can subsequently be compared with the data required for the company’s environmental reporting. For companies concerned by the ESRS framework, these standards require several emissions disclosures. They include gross Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, as well as significant Scope 3 categories.

Data quality therefore becomes just as important as data volume. A clearly documented estimate is more useful for managing a CSR strategy than a global indicator whose calculation methodology is unknown. 

Options Available Depending on Aircraft in the Partner Network 

Not every environmental solution is available on every aircraft or route. This is particularly true of SAF, whose physical availability remains dependent on refuelling infrastructure. 

Avico states that it incorporates environmental criteria into its charter selection process and offers solutions enabling customers to go further in their environmental approach. 

A flight search can therefore take several criteria into account: an aircraft suited to the number of passengers, mission optimisation, the possibility of using SAF when available, and systems for monitoring or offsetting emissions. 

For a company, this approach makes it possible to move from a simple “offset flight” logic towards a broader responsible business aviation strategy. 

Our private jet charter service can therefore be considered while taking into account both operational constraints and the environmental objectives of the journey. 

Conclusion 

Sustainable business aviation does not currently rely on a single mechanism capable of completely eliminating the climate impact of a flight. The solutions available are complementary. 

SAF is the main directly applicable tool for reducing the carbon impact of aviation fuel, but its availability and cost remain significant constraints. However, carbon offsetting only addresses part of the residual emissions. It does not eliminate the emissions produced during the flight. Meanwhile, aircraft selection, load factor and mission optimisation can directly reduce fuel consumption.

For companies, the first step is therefore to accurately measure their business travel. This data can then be used to establish a strategy consistent with CSR objectives and, where applicable, regulatory reporting requirements. 

A credible approach ultimately follows a simple hierarchy: measure, reduce, optimise, then offset residual emissions. 

To develop this approach in line with your travel requirements, contact us about your business aviation CSR strategy to explore the solutions available according to aircraft, routes and your company’s objectives.