Airline boss calls for business class ban to cut carbon emissions
Business class flying should be scrapped to cut carbon emissions, according to the boss of the a UK airport's largest airline.
Jozsef Varadi, chief executive of low-cost carrier Wizz Air, Luton Airport's largest airline, claimed carrying passengers in premium cabins was outdated.
He said: "Business class should be banned. These passengers account for twice the carbon footprint of an economy passenger, and the industry is guilty of preserving an inefficient and archaic model.
A rethink is long overdue, and we call on fellow airlines to commit to a total ban on business class travel for any flight under five hours.
Mr Varadi urged the aviation industry to be more aggressive in cutting its carbon footprint "if we are truly to make a difference".
Wizz Air says it operates at the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger among its competitors and expects to reduce its figure by 30% over the next decade.
Airlines rely on business class travellers for a substantial portion of their profits as the tickets can cost several times more than those in economy.
British Airways is among the carriers offering business class on short-haul trips.
The middle seats in its Club Europe cabins are kept free, increasing the comfort of passengers but reducing their aircrafts' capacity.
This summer, Wizz Air overtook easyJet in having the most seats available to passengers flying from Luton.
The airport is also the UK's busiest for private jet flights.
It emerged last week that the Labour Party is considering banning private jets from 2025 if it wins the General Election.
