Following the previous edition’s focus on Portugal, this month’s report turns to Japan, Asia’s 2nd largest aviation market which we last examined in March 2023.
Please note: As this report is derived from scheduled flight data, emissions linked to certain regions may not fully reflect actual flying activity where significant flight cancellations or operational disruptions have occurred.
Focus market on this month's report: Japan
Key highlights
- Global passenger aviation emissions for August 2026 are estimated at 76 million tonnes of CO2
- Year-to-date global passenger aviation emissions reached approximately 549 million tonnes of CO2, slightly above 2025 levels (547 million tonnes) but still below the equivalent 2019 level (551 million tonnes).
- Approximately 41% of August emissions were covered by compliance programmes CORSIA, EU ETS and UK ETS.
Japan spotlight
Japan remains a key global aviation market, supported by strong domestic connectivity and robust international demand.
- Passenger-related aviation emissions from Japan were estimated at 2.26 million tonnes of CO2 during August 2026.
- Japan ranked as the 5th largest aviation emissions market globally in August 2026 and 4th largest on a year-to-date basis with 17.2 million tonnes of CO2 generated.
- ANA was the country's largest airline contributor to aviation emissions over the last 12 months, generating approximately 4.68 million tonnes of CO2, closely followed by Japan Airlines with 4.55 million tonnes of CO2.
- Among Japan's major carriers, Peach Aviation achieved the lowest emissions intensity levels at 61.95g CO2 per ASK. Jetstar Japan had the next lowest emissions intensity at 65.29g CO2 per ASK.
- Tokyo Haneda Airport was Japan's largest source of aviation emissions, producing 9.19 million tonnes of CO2 over the last 12 months.
- Among Japan's largest airports, airline operations from Osaka Kansai International Airport and Okinawa Naha Airport demonstrated the best emissions efficiency at 66.57g CO2 per ASK and 66.63g CO2 per ASK.
Download this month’s report here
CARE Index
The RDC CARE Index scores any air route, airline and aircraft combination between 0 (worst) and 10 (best) based on fuel burn, seat capacity and load factor, use of sustainable aviation fuel, participation in compliance programmes such as EU ETS, and whether the carrier offsets emissions. It's designed to give both consumers and industry a clear, comparable measure of airline sustainability.
Here are the highest-scoring carriers by region in August 2026:
Europe
- La Compagnie 7.9
- Wizz Air UK 7.8
- TUIfly Nordic 7.6
- Chalair Aviation 7.5
- Iberojet 7.5
North America
- Frontier Airlines 6.8
- Flair Airlines 6.7
- Air Transat 6.6
- Volaris 6.5
- Porter Airlines Canada 6.4
Asia
- Myanmar National Airlines 7.3
- UTair Aviation 7.1
- IndiGo 7.0
- Air Premia 6.9
- Myanmar Airways International 6.8
Rest of the World
- FlyGabon 7.9
- CEIBA Intercontinental 7.4
- Congo Airways 7.4
- Arajet 7.1
- Fiji Airways 6.8
Full CARE Index rankings across all carriers and regions are available in the full report
Our CO2 data which powers our monthly report has been independently audited and verified and is available via our Scope 3 emissions platform, as a dataset, via an API or as part of a subscription to Apex
Our Scope 3 emissions platform has been developed to allow airports to accurately report upon aviation scope 3 emissions and has now been verified against Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) requirements. If you’d like to find out more get in touch with our team today to discover how RDC can provide the insights you need to stay ahead of environmental regulations and improve your sustainability efforts.
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