Korean Air, the official airliner for the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress, is at the vanguard of the aviation industry’s fight against climate change with the introduction of more environment-friendly aircraft and a company-wide campaign to save energy.

The nation’s flag carrier expects its sponsorship for the meeting to be held on Jeju Island from Sept. 6-15 will be an opportunity to promote its efforts to cut carbon emissions.

“We are glad to be sponsoring a meaningful global event such as the IUCN World Conservation Congress. We will make every effort to help make it successful and improve Korea’s image as a leader in green technology,” said Woo Kee-hong, senior vice president of Korean Air’s passenger business division.

Under the sponsorship agreement, the airliner will offer foreign nationals taking part in the meeting airplane tickets at discounted prices.

The congress, the world’s largest environmental event taking place every four years, is expected to draw several thousands of participants from across the world.

“As a world’s leading airliner, we will also introduce more environmentally friendly activities across the globe,” Woo said.

Korean Air is one of earliest participants in the green movement, proclaiming the principle of eco-friendly management in the 1990s.

Climate change is a major threat to the aviation industry. Abnormal climate conditions hurt travel and air traffic, while the cost of fuel oil is a major strain on carriers’ finances.

The company has been accelerating the drive in recent years, planting trees around the world, buying more fuel-efficient aircraft and encouraging its employees to save energy and conserve nature.

Between 2004 and 2011, the company had planted nearly 56,000 trees in Mongolia and about 1 million trees in Kubuchi Desert in China’s Inner Mongolia, where severe desertification is threatening the ecosystem and people’s livelihoods.

In 2009, the company has committed to donating $40,000 a year for four years to a project to plant a million trees in Los Angeles, Korean Air’s key destination in North America with the highest population of overseas Koreans.

Another key pillar of its green management is the introduction of fuel-efficient and eco-friendly aircraft.

Since last June, the aircraft carrier started operating New Generation A380 that carries 35 percent more passengers, while reducing noise and CO2 emissions. It introduced earlier this year two new cargo aircraft ― B747-8F, B777F ― which reduce fuel and carbon emission by 17 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)