South African Airways retains its IATA Environmental Assessment Programme Stage 2 status

Johannesburg, 2017-Feb-18 — /Travel PR News/ — South African Airways (SAA) has become one of only a handful of global airlines to retain its IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA), the comprehensive airline environmental management programme, Stage 2 status.

SAA attained Stage 2 status for the first time in January 2015 and remains at the forefront of environmental sustainability in aviation.

IEnvA is a stringent environmental assessment programme based on recognised international environmental management systems and is specifically tailored to airlines and aviation. IEnvA often exceeds international environmental management standards and requires continuous improvement and innovation in environmental sustainability of airlines.

“SAA’s Stage 2 assessment was conducted in December 2016 showing that responsible environmental management has the potential to deliver commercially beyond the clear social and environmental benefit through projects such as the tobacco biofuels venture, the introduction of fuel-efficient navigation approaches, and the on-going drive to embed a culture of environmental sustainability.

“SAA plans to continue demonstrating its commitment to its mandate in addition to the airline’s environmental programme,” says Ian Cruickshank, Specialist SAA Group Environmental Affairs.

IEnvA is a robust programme that effectively cuts through the complexities of the aviation sector. It should be inspiring to staff, seen as a positive step for the industry, and attractive to travellers. The initiative will ultimately be good for business and is a step toward ensuring the future proofing of aviation.

IEnvA was developed in conjunction with other airlines, with SAA part of the process from the beginning, to address industry needs and specific concerns. IEnvA assesses environmental performance against sustainability standards across a broad range of disciplines, including (but not limited to) the management of air quality and emissions, noise, fuel consumption and operational efficiency, recycling, energy efficiency, sustainable procurement, and biofuel utilisation.

As a result, IEnvA helps airlines to simplify regulatory compliance, demonstrate good governance, and achieve financial savings from the better use of resources. IEnvA implementation follows a phased approach due to the complexity and global presence of airlines as well as the number of role players and touch points.

There are two implementation phases:

Stage 1:

Ensures that an airline has developed the foundation and framework for its environmental management system and certifies an airline has identified and complied with its environmental legal requirements.

Stage 2:

The IEnvA Stage 2 assessment, the highest level of IEnvA achievement, ensures that an airline has implemented all the IEnvA Programme Standards, identified and mitigated its significant environmental impacts, and has set performance targets. It also certifies that an airline has developed processes for monitoring and reviewing its performance against its targets and objectives, thus driving environmental efficiency.

In 2016 the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) was mandated by Government to regulate environmental compliance for aviation and with SAA retaining its IEnvA Stage 2 status, we are well placed to comply with all current and future requirements.

About South African Airways (SAA)

South African Airways (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 56 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and nine intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the ‘Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for 14 consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for three years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on – time airlines.

Contact:

SAA Spokesperson: Tlali Tlali (Mr)
Email: TlaliTlali@flysaa.com
Mobile: +27 82 333-3880
Office:+27 11 978-2298

General Enquiries:
Switchboard: +27 11 978-1000
Website: www.flysaa.com
Twitter: @flysaa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flysaa

Source:  South African Airways

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