By Gavin Evans
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Air New Zealand Ltd., the nation's biggest carrier, is offering customers carbon credits to offset emissions from their travel and is investing in forest planting to reduce its own pollution.
Customers will be able to purchase credits, initially sourced from a New Zealand wind farm owned by TrustPower Ltd., Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe said in a statement e-mailed to Bloomberg today. The company will also fund a three-year tree planting program to help offset emissions from staff travel.
Air New Zealand promotes the country's clean environmental image to fill international services which account for about two-thirds of its revenue. It is buying fuel-efficient jetliners to cut emissions and fuel costs and will this year test biofuels in a joint study with Boeing Co. and Rolls-Royce Group Plc.
Customers ``will now be able to make a conscious choice about whether or not to take positive steps toward helping our environment,'' Fyfe said in the statement.
Offsetting emissions on a flight from Auckland to Wellington will cost NZ$4.50 ($3.60), rising to NZ$13.70 for a Christchurch to Sydney service and NZ$88.10 on an Auckland to Los Angeles trip, the airline said.
Customers can also donate to an environmental trust which the airline is underwriting with an initial NZ$450,000 donation and will support with ongoing contributions. the fund's first project is a native forest restoration on 100 acres of land on Mangarara Station in Hawke's Bay.
To contact the reporter on this story: Gavin Evans in Wellington at Gavinevans@bloomberg.net Last Updated: March 26, 2008 17:34 EDT
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