Sydney to London flight emissions can be halved depending on route, plane and seating

A flight between Sydney and London can have dramatically different carbon emissions depending on whether it stops over in Asia, the Middle East or Africa. Composite: Getty

Flying across the world but want to limit your emissions? Experts say the size of an economy passenger’s carbon footprint can vary dramatically depending on the route and model of plane. Even when flying on the same plane type between the same locations, average passenger emissions can vary widely depending on how the airline lays out seating across its cabins.

The industry standard modelling of per passenger emissions is displayed when booking through travel agents and websites such as Skyscanner, Google and Expedia.