The MoU on carbon offset was signed by Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar  and IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani at IATA’s Green Pavilion on the first day of the 2010 Singapore Airshow at the Changi  Convention Center.

Emirsyah said the MoU would enable passengers to decide whether or not to pay to cover their own the carbon footprint for their flight when booking online on the Garuda website.  Once fully implemented, the program would allow passengers to calculate the compensation required, the volume of reduced CO2 emissions needed and available emission reduction activities.

Emirsyah said the airline and IATA had been talking on the carbon offset  program since mid-2009.  “Garuda is the 15th airlines to participate in the initiative,” he said.

IATA’s carbon offset program is a ready-to-use software which airlines can offer to their passengers to compensate for carbon emissions by contributing to carbon reduction projects in developing countries.

Bisignani said aviation contributes about 2 percent of total carbon emissions but IATA and the aviation sector in general were taking the issue seriously.

“It is not only IATA and airlines but also aircraft producers and engine makers who are working together to reduce emissions,” he told reporters after signing the MoU. He said there was a reduction of 7 percent of carbon emission in the aviation sector through various efforts in 2009.

Meanwhile, Garuda vice president for safety, security, and environment Capt. Novianto Heru Pratomo said the airline would work with IATA to find appropriate projects for the carbon offset initiative. He said Garuda previously had reforested some 250 hectares of forest in the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan and another 250 hectares along the Arakundo River water basin in Aceh.

When asked whether Garuda would soon use biodiesel for its aircraft, Novianto said the use of biodiesel for commercial airlines was still at a trial stage.

Novianto explained  that Garuda is modernizing aircraft cabins  in its new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. All seats in both Executive and Economy Classes are being equipped with individual in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems.

Boeing senior vice president East and Southeast Asia sales, commercial airplanes, Robert K. Laird, claimed to reporters that Garuda is the only airline to equip all its Boeing 737 aircraft with IFE systems for all seats.

Laird said that was the reason why Boeing asked Garuda to display one its latest aircraft to represent Boeing’s commercial product in Singapore.  Garuda officials said the new 737-800 is already operational in the Garuda fleet.

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