Long-haul air freight emission factor by year
| Year | Scope 3 (kg CO2e per tonne km) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.89939 | 0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.89939 | -18.2% |
| 2024 | 1.0990 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.0990 | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 1.0189 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.0189 | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 1.1338 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1317 | – |
Total kg CO2e for the seven greenhouse gases, from the official DESNZ files for each year. 2026 factor ID: 27_317_3156_14_1. Where a factor jumps sharply between two years, it is usually because DESNZ changed its method or data source, not because the activity itself changed.
Worked example
Take 5 tonnes of goods flown 10,000 km. 50,000 tonne km × 0.89939 kg CO2e = 44.97 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 3, category 4 (upstream transportation and distribution).
How to report it
Air freight is one of the most carbon-intensive ways to move goods, many times the factor for shipping. Moving even a small share of air freight to sea is often one of the biggest reductions an importer can make.
Where the data comes from
You'll usually find it in your freight forwarder's records: weight and route. Keep the source documents: anyone checking your Carbon Reduction Plan or SECR report may ask how each figure was worked out.
Read more about how the factors change each year in our guide to the 2026 conversion factors, or see how we apply them in our methodology.
Related emission factors
- Container ship freight: 0.016120 kg CO2e per tonne km
- Average HGV (road freight): 0.10356 kg CO2e per tonne km
- Long-haul flights: 0.15282 kg CO2e per passenger km
- All UK emission factors