Free · CO₂ · Comparisons
Flight Carbon
Calculator
See the CO₂ footprint of your flight by distance and class — and how many trees it would take to offset it.
Distance & class
vs driving
Trees to offset
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Your flight
Estimates use ICAO-style averages (economy kg CO₂ per km). Radiative forcing from contrails can roughly double aviation\'s climate impact.
CO₂ emissions
Per passenger
580
kg CO₂ (round trip)
One-way
290 kg
All passengers
580 kg
kg per km
0.09
That is roughly equivalent to
🚗 Driving3,400 km
💡 Home electricity1,450 kWh
🌳 Trees to offset (1 year)26
Fly economy and take direct flights — takeoff and landing are the most fuel-hungry parts. For short hops, the train beats the plane.
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Short hops pollute most per km
Takeoff and climb use huge fuel, so short flights emit far more CO₂ per km than long-haul cruise.
Class doubles the footprint
Business takes ~2.3× and first ~3× the emissions of economy, because each seat uses more space and weight.
The train wins short distances
For trips under ~800 km, rail emits a fraction of a flight's CO₂. Fly direct and economy for the rest.
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FAQ
Flight carbon FAQ
How much CO₂ does a flight produce?
A short-haul economy flight emits about 0.14 kg CO₂ per passenger-km; long-haul is lower per km (~0.09) because cruise is more efficient. Business and first class emit 2–3× more per seat.
Is flying worse than driving?
Per passenger-km, flying is usually comparable to a solo car trip, but with more passengers a car becomes greener. Short flights are relatively worse than long-haul.
Why does class matter?
Business and first class take more space and weight per passenger, roughly doubling to tripling the emissions per seat.
How many trees offset a flight?
A mature tree absorbs about 22 kg of CO₂ per year. A 2,000 km round-trip economy flight (~430 kg CO₂) would need roughly 20 tree-years — so ~20 trees for one year.
How accurate is this calculator?
It uses ICAO-style averages. Real emissions depend on aircraft, load factor, route and altitude — this is a solid planning estimate.
How can I fly greener?
Fly economy, choose direct flights (takeoff/landing are the inefficient parts), prefer long-haul over many short hops, and consider trains for short distances.
What is radiative forcing?
Aviation's total climate impact is about 2–3× the CO₂ alone, due to contrails and other effects at altitude. Some estimates multiply flight CO₂ by ~2 for the true impact.
Does carbon offsetting actually work?
Quality offsets (verified reforestation or renewables) can compensate, but reducing the flight or flying economy is more effective. Use offsets for unavoidable emissions.