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Asiana Airlines :
An ideal example for sustainability
The aviation sector is inspiring other sectors through its examples of sustainable development. The South Korean Asiana Airlines ranks among the leading companies in the sector, gaining attention with sustainable development activities which have become an example for the entire world. Asiana, while acting with the aim of being an environmentally friendly company which provides harmony between man and his work requirements, demonstrates successful environmental management.
Despite their considerably difficult working conditions and the numerous procedures with which they are required to comply, the airline continuously strives to pursue a management style which cooperates with nature, society, and fellow companies. Asiana Airlines’ targets which it has determined in concern with its environment policy are: > To minimize the consumption of energy and resources, > To use motors and aircraft fleets which increase fuel efficiency, > To define strict environmental standards within the establishment, > To establish internal standards which are applied at the international level; to minimize pollutants through systematic management, > To systematically analyze the company’s unfavorable effects on the environment, and to use the outcome with the purpose of reducing emissions, > To evaluate the environmental effects of its aviation, maintenance and service operations, and improvement of environmentally friendly processes, > To implement a transparent and sustainable management in a systematic manner, > To continuously improve the environmental systems through feedbacks, > Organization of sustainable management trainings and environmental sustainability activities, > To regularly provide environmental information to the relevant persons and institutions, > To closely follow up and implement of the international climate change agreements. Step by step sustainable development The first decision which Asiana Airlines made which drew attention in this course was the use of the slogan, “The world as valuable as our customers,” which it developed and started using in the year 1994. In 1995 the company became the first airline company which banned smoking and selling of cigarettes on all flights. And in the year 1996 Asiana lead the way in its sector in the context of environmental awareness by receiving an ISO 14001 Environment Management System Certificate. The company, although the concentration of some pollutants being emitted from some of its facilities is 20 percent below the proportion made obligatory by law, pulled this proportion to an even lower level by altering the utilization system with the aim of reducing consumption of resources. As a result of such efforts, Asiana Airlines was declared the first environmentally friendly company in the service sector by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of South Korea in the year 2001. The company, by continuing its environmentally sensitive business development, was declared “environmentally friendly” in 2006 due to the features of its maintenance facilities in the Incheon International Airport, one of the largest airports in the world. It continues to be one of the best companies in the aviation industry in this regard. Furthermore, in response to a call made to the business world by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, answered by preparing a roadmap for reducing global warming, increasing energy efficiency and decreasing emissions. The company developed the Fuel Management Information System (MIS) which includes information on air emissions. This system helped keep to a minimum the low motor efficiency as a result of pollutants entering aircraft engines and impeding the airflow inside the engine. They washed the engines of 83 aircraft in the year 2006, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions bye approximately 5 thousand tons, and ensuring fuel savings of between 0.5-0.6 percent. The same application was done in the year 2008, and 48 motors were washed. The company thus accomplished a reduction of 2,860 tons in carbon dioxide emissions. Yet another initiative of the company was its starting to use instead of the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), the GPU (Ground Power Unit) as a less energy-consuming power source. Thus, Asiana Airlines succeeded in reducing carbon dioxide emissions on an average of 217 thousand tons during the years 2007-2008 by new applications implemented for flight operations, improvement of flight procedures, flight plan, fuel loading policy, and operational restrictions. Yet one of the most original initiatives the company has implemented is in recompensing the carbon emissions due to the flights made by its own personnel. Since then, all the counterbalancing expenses for carbon emission as a result of its employees’ flights are covered by the company. Moreover, the company which established a system for verifying carbon footprint and counterbalancing expenses, is also offering its passengers the opportunity of seeing their own carbon footprints and counterbalancing expenses through its web site. Asiana Airlines is transferring funds donated by passengers who are sensitive in this matter and want to give support to the elimination - or at least to the reduction of the environmental pollution created by themselves to independent carbon counterbalancing organizations. THY Technics also received the title “Green Company” after Istanbul Atatürk Airport. The Green Airport project of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) continues to grow. Turkish Airlines Technic Co. (Turkish Technic), which operates in the area of aircraft maintenance services, has been honored to receive the title of an environmentally-conscious “Green Company” within the context of the project. Within the framework of the project, begun in July by the Ministry of Transport and Communication Directorate General of Civil Aviation, with the aim of systematic reduction and elimination of the negative environmental effects by those operating in the airports, THY Technics also received the title “Green Company” after Istanbul Atatürk Airport.Upon conferral of “Green Company” status by DGCA on January 10th, 2009, use of the project logo and a 20 percent discount on permit extension fees such as operating authority documents, licenses, and certificates have been awarded to Turkish Technic. The Green Airport project is in the planning stages to be expanded to all air fields and airports in 2010. Awards received by Asiana Airlines > First Environment-Friendly Service Company Award from Korean Ministry of Environment > Selective Maintenance Unit Award from Incheon International Airport > National Environmental Management Grand Prix Presidency Award for Reducing Carbondioxide Emissions and Energy Saving |
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asiana-airlines | green-company | awards | sustainable | environment |