Which emission factors does this calculator use?

It uses the official UK DESNZ July 2026 revised GHG conversion factors (total kg CO2e per passenger-km). These factors already incorporate an 8% uplift on great-circle distances to account for indirect routes, delays, congestion, and circling.

Why are some seating classes unavailable for certain flight types?

DESNZ publishes factors only for seating configurations that operate on given route types: domestic flights provide an average factor only; short-haul flights provide average, economy, and business; long-haul and non-UK international flights provide average, economy, premium economy, business, and first class.

What is radiative forcing (RF) and should I include it?

Radiative forcing accounts for high-altitude non-CO2 warming effects such as contrails, nitrogen oxides, and water vapor. DESNZ publishes factors both with and without RF. While subject to greater scientific uncertainty, using factors with RF is widely recommended for comprehensive environmental reporting.

Why is there no fixed carbon offset cost displayed?

Carbon-credit prices and quality vary across markets and project types. Providing one unmaintained price would be misleading, so this calculator focuses on the emissions estimate.

How does seating class affect emissions?

Seating class factors account for floor space and cabin density. Premium cabins take up more square footage and weight per seat, allocating a higher share of the aircraft fuel burn to each passenger.

Flight Carbon Calculator

Calculate flight CO2e emissions using official UK DESNZ 2026 factors across domestic, short-haul, long-haul, and international routes with seating class and radiative forcing options.

Flight Parameters

Flight Type

DESNZ uses route regions, not a distance-only 3,700 km cutoff.

Seating Class

Flight Distance (one-way)

One-way distance (max 25,000 km or equivalent miles).

Journey Type One-way flight

Radiative Forcing (RF) Includes non-CO2 high-altitude warming

DESNZ recommends reporting with RF for comprehensive climate impact, though uncertainty is higher than CO2 alone.

Number of Passengers

Whole integer between 1 and 500.

Awaiting Flight Parameters

Enter flight distance, route type, and seating class to calculate official DESNZ 2026 carbon emissions.

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Summary

Calculate flight CO2e emissions using official UK DESNZ 2026 factors across domestic, short-haul, long-haul, and international routes with seating class and radiative forcing options.

How it works

Select the flight type: UK domestic, short-haul (to/from UK), long-haul (to/from UK), or international between non-UK airports.
Choose a seating class published for that flight type (average, economy, premium economy, business, or first).
Enter flight distance in kilometers or statute miles (converted using exactly 1 mile = 1.609344 km).
Specify one-way or round-trip and an integer passenger count between 1 and 500.
Select whether to include radiative forcing (RF) to account for high-altitude non-CO2 climate effects.
Emissions are calculated locally from the DESNZ 2026 flat file without network requests.

Use cases

Corporate Scope 3 business travel reporting using DESNZ-recommended emission factors.
Comparing emissions between Economy and premium seating classes on long-haul routes.
Assessing the carbon impact of radiative forcing uplifts for high-altitude passenger travel.
Evaluating per-passenger vs group emissions for domestic and international itineraries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu

Flight Carbon Calculator

Flight Parameters

Awaiting Flight Parameters

Calculation Audit & Parameters DESNZ July 2026 Factors

Seating Class Comparison

Summary

How it works

Use cases

Frequently Asked Questions

Flight Carbon Calculator

Use the Flight Carbon Calculator

Flight Parameters

Awaiting Flight Parameters

Calculation Audit & Parameters DESNZ July 2026 Factors

Seating Class Comparison

Summary

How it works

Use cases

Frequently Asked Questions