Victor, in partnership with 4AIR, has published the first Contrails Analysis Report from a private jet charter broker, shining a spotlight on the non-CO2 impact of aviation. The report analysed 2,987 flights worldwide and found that just 1% of contrails accounted for 48% of total warming impact. This underscores how a small number of high-impact contrails disproportionately contribute to climate effects, and how targeted action could deliver meaningful change.
Contrails, which are the long, thin cloud formations behind aircraft, are responsible for 1–2% of global warming, with recent research suggesting they cause as much warming each year as all the CO2 emitted by flights between 1945 and 2018. By publishing this data voluntarily, Victor and 4AIR are calling on all airlines to increase transparency, improve flight-path planning, and work with Air Traffic Control to reduce contrail-forming flights.
This inaugural report represents a step toward greater accountability in aviation and will be republished annually. You can read the full findings below:
Fuel reduction and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Climate Action is not an ESG tagline but an integral part of our business strategy. Enabling our members to fly sustainably has been at the heart of our mission since 2018, when we introduced our collaborative carbon offset program to the on-demand private jet charter market.
Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 is aviation’s global ambition required to limit global warming to 1.5℃. Aviation accounts for 2-3% of global GHG emissions annually and is one of the hard-to-abate sectors, so immediate low-emission solutions need to be urgently adopted today.
At Victor we do not ignore the fact that a private jet emits 5 to 14 times more CO2 per passenger mile than a commercial airliner. If you truly care about the planet, the obvious choice is to not fly at all, but given the importance of travel, the privilege of flying privately therefore comes with an urgent and important responsibility to the planet.
Victor enables its members to take two credible pathways that collectively enable them to take accountability of their carbon footprint when flying privately:
The first positive decision we recommend Victor members to make is to choose an efficient aircraft, which burns less fuel and therefore has lower carbon emissions
To enable you to choose the best flight option, Victor discloses key aircraft information when quoting a trip, such as the operator's name and images of the actual aircraft. We also use flight mapping technology from our partner RocketRoute coupled with data from thousands of historic Victor flights, to disclose accurate fuel burn estimates on every quote.
Often, aircraft with similar cabin dimensions have significantly different fuel-burn over the same flight duration. The below diagram takes three frequently used jets of similar size to show how a Victor member could be presented with the ability to make a more sustainable choice for their jet charter.
2. Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™
Thanks to our pioneering partnership with Neste - the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) - Victor’s private and corporate members can credibly reduce their carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) by replacing fossil fuel with Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™.
SAF stands for Sustainable Aviation Fuel which is a next generation low carbon fuel to replace fossil based jet fuel. It is produced from sustainably sourced waste and residue raw materials such as used cooking oils, and results in a carbon emission reduction of up to 80% compared to fossil jet fuel, over the lifecycle of the fuel.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified SAF as the single biggest contributor to the aviation industry's 2050 Net Zero Commitment, with 65% of projected future carbon reductions coming from SAF consumption.
Victor members are able to purchase Neste MY SAF™ at check out, making Victor the first and only on-demand private jet charter provider to credibly offer SAF for every booking, regardless of operator or departure airport. After completing the purchase, Victor members will receive a receipt stating the amount of Neste MY SAF™ purchased and, later on, a Delivery Confirmation confirming the total GHG emission reductions achieved.
Neste’s SAF solution is wholly aligned with the aviation guidance of Science Based Targets, which is considered the gold standard in ambitious corporate climate targets.
Victor is comitted to defining a sustainable future for private aviation. We have revised our offsetting strategy as industry best practice continues to evolve, and have taken the decision to cease our 200% offsetting programme from 1st January 2023. We believe this to be a positive step on our journey to net zero as we throw our efforts into driving awareness and education of the most credible carbon emission reduction solution available in aviation – Sustainable Aviation Fuel. To read more about the decision that we’ve taken, please read this letter from Victor co-CEOs.
