Loganair is introducing a new ’green’ charge on every ticket it sells.

The charge is part of the airline’s GreenSkies environmental programme as it commits to being fully carbon neutral by 2040. It is the first UK regional airline to take such an ambitious step towards mitigating the environmental impact of flying.

The GreenSkies initiative encompasses an immediate programme of carbon offsets to remove the same amount of carbon from the environment as that generated from each and every Loganair flight. At the same time, the airline is tackling the long-term goal of introducing sustainable aircraft into its fleet. It is an active partner in three future flight projects to design, test and certificate new technology. One of these, Project Fresson, led by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, will convert the Britten-Norman Islander aircraft used on the Orkney inter-isles air services to hydrogen fuel-cell power.

When the new carbon offset programme is launched on July 1 it will be the first of its kind in the UK to directly relate the cost of flying to its environmental impact. A £1 GreenSkies charge will be included in the ticket price for every customer’s flight.

Funds raised through the charge will be invested in environmental initiatives across the world including reforestation projects and wind farms. Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said: ’We are extremely proud to be the first UK regional airline to set ambitious goals for a carbon-neutral future. The entire transport industry has a huge task ahead to address and reduce emissions from every form of travel, and it’s our responsibility as the UK’s largest regional airline to lead the way.

’The technology required to deliver zero-carbon regional flights is still under development and testing today, and these are programmes in which we’re pleased to be taking an active role.

’Until they’re ready for use more widely though, we’ll be mitigating the carbon emissions from every Loganair flight through the new offset programme and taking all of the steps that we safely and reasonably can to reduce those carbon emissions in the first place.

’We think it’s right to ask our customers to join us on this journey to carbon neutrality, and the £1 GreenSkies charge means that we can immediately mitigate the impact of the carbon emissions from every flight.

’We want our customers to understand just how committed we are to highlighting the need to recognise the impact of each journey - and how a small change for all of us can quickly make a big difference overall.’