Almost three quarters of frequent flyers are unwilling to pay extra for airlines using greener fuels, the ArabianBusiness.com Travel Survey 2008 has found.
Close to 75% of survey respondents who have travelled to between 11-20 countries in the last 12 months said they would not consider changing airlines, or be willing to pay more if an airline adopted a carbon neutral policy or used greener fuels.
The remaining 26% of frequent flyers indicated they would consider paying extra for more environmentally friendly air travel.
The findings for frequent flyers are in contrast to average results to the question which indicate a more average split of opinion on the issue.
According to the survey, 56.9% of all travelers would consider the price increase, while 43% said they would not.
Greener air travel is a topical issue for airlines globally, as governments and environmental groups press for lower emissions from the aviation industry in a bid to fight climate change.
However, earlier this month Airbus chief Tom Enders claimed the aviation industry was being unfairly targeted over climate change issues.
Future reductions in aircraft emissions should be based on technological innovation rather than regulation, Enders said.
“We think it’s a little bit unfair that the aviation sector is singled out for attack by many environmental groups, maybe because we are more visible than other groups,” he said.
Signatories to the 1997 UN Kyoto Protocol promised in March to explore ways of curbing the harmful gases that planes emit into the atmosphere.
But Enders said placing curbs on air travel and emissions would be the wrong solution.
“We are absolutely convinced that the solution is not new taxes, new constraints, but technology and innovation,” he said.
Airbus in February tested a synthetic fuel made from natural gas, which is cleaner and more efficient than the kerosene currently used and has also tested a fuel cell used to power some electric and hydraulic systems in one of its aircraft.
Although aircraft are becoming more fuel-efficient, the rapid growth of the industry means overall aviation emissions are rising. The aviation market is forecast to double in size every 15 years.
Dubai-based airline Emirates also recently introduced a weight reduction programme to cut carbon emissions, and has invested in a more fuel-efficient fleet.
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