How Ryanair’s New Amadeus Partnership Will Help Passengers Manage Their Carbon Footprint

On Friday, European low-cost giant Ryanair and global travel technology company Amadeus announced a new distribution partnership targeting… business travelers. The distribution specialist says that because of Ryanair’s environmental credentials, the new relationship will help companies manage their carbon footprint and meet ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) targets.

In all likelihood, corporate clients will drive aviation sustainability. This trend will continue to grow as emissions targets, particularly Scope 3, become more evident and CO2 measuring tools grow more accurate. For the individual traveler, price and schedule are still the main concerns when booking a ticket. Companies, meanwhile, need to meet ESG targets for which they will be increasingly held accountable by investors and auditors.

Dara Brady, Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Digital & Communications, commented on the new collaboration,

“We are pleased to announce this partnership with Amadeus, the world’s leading travel technology company, further expanding Ryanair’s offering and enabling corporate customers in particular greater access to our unrivalled network of connections, high frequencies, on-time performance, and unbeatable low fares as they return to collaborating with colleagues face-to-face. We look forward to working with Amadeus and its efficient distribution solution and industry-leading network over the coming years.”

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

Access to wide network of travel sellers

You may not come across the name Amadeus as often as you do the names of one of the many airlines they partner with. However, you have likely used one of their products at one point in your flying career, especially if you have booked with one of the many member airlines of oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. Now, corporate clients will also be able to use the IT specialist’s platform to book with less conventional business travel choice, Ryanair.

Jose-Luis Aragon, Regional Vice President, Air Distribution Europe, Amadeus said,

“We are very happy that Ryanair has chosen to capitalize on Amadeus’ technology to support its distribution strategy. This partnership illustrates the value of our platform for low-cost carriers, offering the airline access to the widest network of travel sellers worldwide and the technology to help them get the most out of the indirect channel. This partnership is another example of our commitment to delivering the broadest and most relevant travel content from any technology source to our travel sellers, with smooth and seamless integration into their everyday tools and processes.”

Photo: Getty Images

LCC emission competition in Europe

Ryanair says it has the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer of any major European airline. In 2021, this figure was 66 grams. Meanwhile, low-cost competitor Wizz Air actually takes the crown for the lowest in Europe, with 57.7 grams. Despite a significant number (and more on the way) of new Boeing 737 MAX jets, Ryanair’s average fleet age (mainline carrier) is 12.8 years.

Wizz, an all-Airbus carrier, meanwhile, has a fleet less than half that age, with planes averaging just 5.3 years. Ryanair is set to take many more MAXs, but then again, Wizz will continue to upgrade its fleet with Airbus A320neo family aircraft, so the battle for fuel efficiency and shaving off the CO2 grams are on between the two. Now that is healthy competition.