Ranking: which airlines are the most fuel-efficient?

The environmental impact of aviation remains quite a hot topic...

Unlike other modes of transportation, though, the technologies that could one day compete with gas-guzzling jet engines are still far from being ready for mass-adoption, so most efforts to reduce this impact, at least in the short and medium term are focused on increasing fuel efficiency, so that we can progressively lower the amount of fuel that takes to carry one passenger over a certain distance.

But how efficient are airlines today?

Knowing where we stand might be the first step to craft adequate policies.

The International Council on Clean Transporation (ICCT) has done the math for transatlantic flights and...surprise, surprise!

Airlines with newer fleets and relatively denser sear configurations (I am talking to you, Norwegian!) came on top as the most efficient...

The reverse of the coin, older fleets with plenty of four-engined aircraft and more oriented towards business travelers (that use the less dense configuration on business and first class) tend to be less efficient, hence British Airways' last spot.

You can donwload the whole report here.