Ecology and Environmental Protection

As Russia’s leading carrier, PJSC Aeroflot is fully aware of its responsibility to ensure high environmental performance and sustainable development across all its activities.

PJSC Aeroflot’s environmental policy is aimed at improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance. One of its key principles is to improve aircraft fuel efficiency, which helps reduce the airline’s environmental footprint while cutting fuel costs – a major contributor to overall operating expenses.

PJSC Aeroflot has in place an environmental management system. In 2018, the Company’s integrated management system successfully passed a certification audit, confirming its compliance with ISO 9001 and 14001 international standards. The audit was carried out by certification agency TÜV Rheinland and assessed compliance with ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems).

Rossiya airline also successfully passed a certification audit for compliance with ISO 9001:2015. In 2018, Aurora airline successfully passed IATA Operation Safety Audit (IOSA), thus remaining IOSA registered.

In line with its environmental policy, the Company established goals and objectives, as well as developed and implemented environmental management procedures.

Key aims of Aeroflot’s environmental policy:

• Maintaining and improving the environmental management system
• Improving the energy efficiency of its operations through fleet upgrades and replacing outdated energy-intensive types of aircraft with new assets offering enhanced fuel efficiency
• Optimising the route network and rolling out new piloting techniques to reduce noise pollution and cut emissions from aircraft engines
• Managing waste with a focus on recycling to minimise the environmental impact
• Monitoring, analysing, and benefiting from new opportunities to improve environmental performance
• Raising environmental awareness, promoting resource efficiency, and building a recycling culture among PJSC Aeroflot’s employees

In pursuance of Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 889 On Selected Measures to Improve Energy and Environmental Efficiency of the Russian Economy dated 4 June 2008, the Company continues to implement its Energy Saving and Environmental Performance Programme until 2020.

Its energy saving activities will help PJSC Aeroflot save up to 1.5 million tonnes of fuel every year and decrease specific fuel consumption by 43.6% by 2020.

PJSC Aeroflot’s total environmental protection initiatives amounted to RUB 47.752 million in 2018.

Quality management system

PJSC Aeroflot has in place a management system, with the quality management system (QMS) as its core element. To keep up with internal, national, and international standards, Aeroflot’s QMS Department is working to improve the Company’s quality management programme. The system helps ensure that the products and services offered by PJSC Aeroflot’s business units and suppliers comply with its flight safety, aviation security, and service quality requirements.

Aiming to mitigate risks that can impact quality and flight safety, PJSC Aeroflot holds memberships with the following IATA pools:

• IFQP (IATA Fuel Quality Pool)
• DAQCP (De-Icing/Anti-Icing Quality Control Pool)
• ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations Pool)

Aeroflot Group enhances its QMS by improving upon its KPI-based performance evaluation framework and compliance with internal and external management system standards applied by IATA, SkyTeam, and Aeroflot Group.

Seeking to further improve Aeroflot Group’s QMS in 2018, Aeroflot:

• monitored its subsidiary airlines’ compliance with Aeroflot Group’s requirements
• advised the airlines and provided guidance on preparing for IOSA and ISO certification audits
• coordinated and controlled compliance with the EU ETS requirements
• coordinated and monitored activities necessary for ensuring compliance with CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

To further improve its QMS, PJSC Aeroflot implements innovative management approaches and streamlines its internal processes while using tools that are unique in the Russian air transportation market. These efforts improve service quality and ensure a high level of flight safety.

Fuel efficiency and air quality initiatives

Managing fuel efficiency is one of the Company’s top priorities. PJSC Aeroflot seeks to improve its fuel efficiency and contribute to a reduction in GHG emissions. Almost the entire Aeroflot fleet complies with ICAO standards for noise levels and atmospheric pollution.

PJSC Aeroflot’s system for monitoring and measuring СО2 emissions ensures compliance with Russian and European requirements for monitoring, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions. PJSC Aeroflot’s СО2 monitoring and reporting system covers its entire route network.

In 2018, PJSC Aeroflot had a verification of its 2017 annual emission report, following which the CO2 emissions were compensated through purchasing required EU ETS allowances.

Aeroflot develops annual fuel efficiency and costcutting programme while upgrading its fleet on a regular basis to further improve its fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

The following activities were carried out in 2018:

• Introducing standard volumes for refuelling aircraft
• Minimising the difference between projected and actual revenue loads
• Centre-of-gravity control
• Optimal use of auxiliary power unit
• Lower fuel consumption through reducing water supplies on board
• Use of ground systems for pre-flight air conditioning of aircraft cockpit and cabins
• Improving aerodynamics through quality surface washing
• Improving engine efficiency through ramjet duct cleaning
• Reducing take-off weight by tracking the weight of kitchen equipment and onboard food and comfort items

These activities helped reduce fuel consumption by 14,678.9 tonnes, equal to decreasing CO2 emissions by 46,341.3 tonnes.

Aeroflot provides passengers with information on its CO2 footprint from flights: the corporate website has an online CO2 calculator that estimates a passenger’s environmental footprint from the flight.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

In 2018, PJSC Aeroflot continued to receive an international Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) rating for disclosing its climate change management and GHG emissions. Under the CDP, companies from across the globe make reports on their GHG emissions and climate change activities. CDP scoring is growing in popularity, both among companies and investors.

PJSC Aeroflot’s CDP score (D) remained unchanged from the previous year. To improve its CDP score, PJSC Aeroflot plans to launch a number of initiatives aimed at creating a corporate system for managing GHG emissions. The system’s mission will be to monitor direct and indirect GHG emissions and prepare and verify reports on these emissions, compliant with ISO 14064 requirements.

Sustainable water use

Aeroflot is working to ensure sustainable water use and a reduced impact on waterbodies.

In 2018, the Company renovated treatment facilities for stormwater flows from PJSC Aeroflot’s Melkisarovo office building. The quality of wastewater and surface water discharged by the treatment facilities was monitored every month. No excessive concentrations of pollutants in the wastewater were reported in 2018. A report was produced from observing the waterbody and impact of the wastewater and drainage water discharged by the treatment facilities in 2017.

Aeroflot promptly discloses all the required environmental data on the use of water resources to environmental authorities.

In 2018, the Company assessed the air pollutant emissions at the paint facility of the Ground Handling Department. No excessive concentrations of pollutants were reported.

Reducing and disposing of industrial and commercial waste

Aeroflot has been setting up sites for industrial waste storage and selective waste collection. In 2018, the Company created new sites for waste storage differentiated by waste type and hazard class. The Company ran checks of the sites, including those for temporary storage of industrial waste, and recorded industrial and commercial waste volumes and movement on a quarterly basis. All the required reporting documents were provided to environmental authorities.

A total of 9.6 tonnes of paper and cardboard was handed over for recycling in 2018, which helped save 95 trees and reduce CO2 emissions by 16.3 tonnes.

Seeking to raise environmental awareness among its employees, Aeroflot regularly runs environmental workshops and webinars.

No critical industrial spills were registered at PJSC Aeroflot in 2018.