The sustainability and affordability of air travel is a balancing act!

Air travel is a vital part of travel worldwide, both for leisure and for business. As I wrote in my last article, the stringent economic conditions of the past few years mean that one of the key trends for 2026 will be leisure travellers seeking more affordable travel options. As much as we would like to see a downturn in ticket prices soon, and there are a couple of reasons to believe we might, the reality is that the airline industry is still facing some big financial challenges, not the least of which is meeting sustainability demands.  

What is looking positive?

Due to a massive increase in travel since COVID-19, and a consequently competitive market, air travel has already become more affordable in the last couple of years. However, it must be said that we’re still nowhere near the kind of pricing we saw before the pandemic.

The light at the end of the tunnel in 2026, though, is that the restrictions airlines were facing from having insufficient aircraft will be alleviated, with many airlines like Emirates, Qatar, and Qantas, finally introducing new aircraft into their fleets. This increase in aircraft should, theoretically, create some softening of airline prices.

What are the negatives?

What may prevent this from happening, though, is the fact that airlines are under pressure to meet sustainability targets (65% sustainable aviation fuel by 2050), which seems to be a major reason that prices have remained high. So, two questions arise from this: ‘’Are these sustainability initiatives realistic?’’ and, as long as they have to be met ‘’Is more affordable air travel in 2026 a realistic expectation?’’

An article published by Aviation Week a couple of years ago, when the initiatives were first introduced, said:
“The unfortunate reality is that current pathways to fulfil the aviation industry’s aspirational goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 are narrow and unclear. Yet global warming continues, with dire warnings and increasing impatience.”

Although so much has already been achieved, according to reports along these lines, it appears these initiatives are still a major factor in keeping airline prices “sky high” (if you’ll excuse the pun). The same article went on to say: “The aviation industry does not need unrealistic mandates. Cutting flights, imposing carbon taxes on an already overtaxed industry, or applying emissions trading schemes extra-territorially do not make sense. Aviation is simply too important to world trade, connecting cultures and lifting people out of poverty to use such blunt instruments.”

I can’t help but agree, and 2 years later, a lot of that comment is still relevant. I think we also can’t ignore the fact that, while more road travel is being encouraged, research shows that road transport contributes more to CO2 emissions than aviation. Additionally, I have read that a major contributor to the new-age fuel being developed is used cooking oil and one wonders at the counter-intuitive nature of importing mass quantities of that.

Affordable air travel keeps the travel world turning

Airlines clearly struggle to find the happy medium between meeting sustainability targets and keeping air travel as affordable as possible. Airline travel keeps global travel and tourism, a massive contributor to the global economy turning. This means that all role players, from governments to leisure and corporate travellers (some of whom hypocritically snub airlines deemed to be lacking in sustainability initiatives, yet still opt for the cheapest flights), need to support airlines in their efforts.

Possibly more sponsorship is needed at the government level, and certainly all travellers need to remember that the airline industry is a tough one, operating on small margins while delivering large expectations. As long as airfares remain reasonable, let’s continue to support air travel. More sustainable air travel will take time, and so might lower-cost airfares, because the sustainability and affordability of air travel like many things in life is a balancing act!

Lidia de Olim
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER