Flight methodology
ICAO
ICAO CO₂ method, without the ICEC dataset
Estimates a passenger's share of the CO₂ from burning jet fuel, following the method of the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator (ICEC).
- Publisher
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- Best for
- General estimates of combustion CO₂
- Result
- One total per trip, for all travellers
- Energy scope
- TTW, CO₂ only
- Non-CO₂ effects
- Not included
- Factor year
- Not selectable
How it works
- SQUAKE adds a correction to the great-circle distance: 50 km for flights under 550 km, 100 km from 550 to 5,500 km, and 125 km above 5,500 km.
- Fuel burn is estimated for the aircraft type over that distance. Without an aircraft type, SQUAKE uses a default aircraft for each distance band.
- A business seat gets a larger share of the emissions than an economy seat.
- Each tonne of jet fuel burned counts as 3.16 tonnes of CO₂. That covers CO₂ only, from burning the fuel (tank-to-wheel).
Trip details used
When a detail is missing, SQUAKE uses the default.
| Detail | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and destination airports | Required | Trips with connections are calculated leg by leg. |
| Actual distance | Calculated from the airports | Replaces the airport-based distance. |
| Cabin class | Economy | Economy or business only. |
| Aircraft type | A default aircraft for the distance band | |
| Number of travellers | 1 | |
| Sustainable aviation fuel | None | A SQUAKE adjustment outside ICAO's method. |
What is included
Included
- CO₂ from burning jet fuel
Not included
- Producing and delivering the fuel
- Methane, nitrous oxide and non-CO₂ effects such as contrails
- ICAO's licensed ICEC dataset
Limitations
- Without the ICEC dataset, it separates economy and business seats only, with no separate values for premium economy or first class.
- Covers combustion CO₂ only, so results are not directly comparable with broader methods.
Sources
- ICAO: Carbon Emissions Calculatoricao.int
ICAO's calculator and its methodology.