
Low-emission planes adding to sustainability push in Chilean transport

Aviation companies are joining Chile’s push for sustainable mobility by introducing planes with lower carbon emissions and advancing with the development of new technologies that include bio-fuels and green hydrogen.
Despite the moves being made in the sector, industry executives admit that the government must also act to promote these efforts.
“We have the opportunity to design a framework to incentivize the investment and distribution of this type of fuels in the region, because airlines are very restricted when it comes to which fuels we can use,” Estuardo Ortiz, CEO of local low-cost airline Jetsmart told BNamericas when asked about government action.
At a presentation on Tuesday, Jetsmart added the first Airbus A321neo plane to its fleet. This model produces 25% lower emissions per passenger than other planes with the same capacity since it uses bio-fuel, which means emitting 12,000t less CO2 per year, making it the plane with the lowest emissions in South America.
Jetsmart will add three more A321neo planes to its fleet by the end of this year. They will initially operate in Chile before flights are added to Buenos Aires and Lima.
During the presentation, Airbus Chile’s managing director, Jerome Ronssin, told BNamericas that Chile is already taking steps to incentivize the use of cleaner fuels, highlighting State development corporation Corfo's green hydrogen financing round last year.
When asked about Airbus's adoption of these technologies, he said that the company began plans to develop a zero-emissions plane two years ago, which it hopes to put into operation by around 2035.
“The technology isn’t defined yet, we’re in the design process, but it's very likely that we will use green hydrogen in one way or another,” he said.
So far Chile’s green mobility efforts have been limited to land transport, particularly regarding electric vehicles.
LOW-COST AIRPORTS
Before the COVID-19 pandemic led to a huge reduction in air traffic, a debate was taking shape on whether existing airports should be adapted to low-cost airlines, or if separate, smaller terminals should be made exclusively for them.
By the end of May, passenger traffic in Chile’s airports had reached 77.6% of the pre-pandemic peak.
Despite the drop, Jetsmart CEO Ortiz told BNamericas that there are opportunities to continue expanding air transport in the country.
“There are several cities in the country that are not being served directly and which don’t require expensive infrastructure,” he said, adding that even now there are many airports and air routes in the region that are over-saturated.
Subscribe to the most trusted business intelligence platform in Latin America. Let us show you our solutions for Suppliers, Contractors, Operators, Government, Legal, Financial and Insurance.
News in: Infrastructure (Chile)

Chile environmental submissions decline in October
The number of projects submitted for environmental evaluation decreased compared to September and also year-on-year.

Chile- 'Private sector is a fundamental player to increase the current decarbonization figure of the national energ...
According to the most recent report issued by the National Electricity Coordinator (CEN) and the National Energy Commission, in the last 12 months ...
Subscribe to Latin America’s most trusted business intelligence platform.
Other projects in: Infrastructure (Chile)
Get critical information about thousands of Infrastructure projects in Latin America: what stages they're in, capex, related companies, contacts and more.
- Project: Orbital Sur highway
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 days ago
- Project: Iquique - Alto Hospicio cable car
- Current stage:
- Updated:
5 days ago
- Project: Valparaiso cable car
- Current stage:
- Updated:
5 days ago
- Project: Cable car of Puerto Montt
- Current stage:
- Updated:
6 days ago
- Project: Dominga
- Current stage:
- Updated:
2 weeks ago
- Project: Valparaíso - Santiago high-speed train
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Sótero del Río hospital reposition (Puente Alto hospital)
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Cordillera province hospital construction
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Extension of Line 3 Metro de Santiago
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Los Andes Land Port Expansion
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
Other companies in: Infrastructure (Chile)
Get critical information about thousands of Infrastructure companies in Latin America: their projects, contacts, shareholders, related news and more.
- Company: Krti Consultora
-
The description contained in this profile was taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been automatical...
- Company: Mas Errázuriz S.A.  (Mas Errázuriz)
-
The Chilean engineering firm Mas Errázuriz was established in 1982. The company is involved in projects in energy, Infrastructure, and mining. Mas Errázuriz also operates in Bra...
- Company: Ministerio de Obras Públicas de la República de Chile  (MOP Chile)
-
The Ministry of Public Works of Chile (Ministerio de Obras Públicas, MOP), is an administrative organism created in 1887 with headquarters in Santiago and regional offices, whic...
- Company: Arroyo Energy Compañía de Energías Renovables Limitada  (Arroyo Energy Compañía de Energías Renovables)
-
Arroyo Energy Compañía de Energías Renovables is the Chilean subsidiary of Arroyo Energy Group, an independent investment manager focused on energy assets in the United States, ...
- Company: Andina Turbomecánica S.p.A.  (Andina Turbomecánica)
-
Founded in 2010, Andina Turbomecánica provides products and services for the power generation sector. With a head office in Santiago, the company offers operation and maintenanc...
- Company: Gea Ambiental
- Company: United States Embassy Chile / Embajada de Estados Unidos en Chile  (US Embassy Chile / Embajada de EE.UU. en Chile)
-
The mission of the United States Embassy in Chile is to strengthen bilateral relations between both countries. Its activities are focused on promoting commercial relations by id...
- Company: Consorcio Ingeniería Cuatro - COWI  (Consorcio Ingeniería Cuatro – COWI)
-
Consorcio Ingeniería Cuatro – COWI is a company made up of Ingeniería Cuatro Ltda. and COWI Holding A/S for the execution of the Puente de Chacao project, which is located in th...
- Company: Ingeniería Cuatro Ltda.  (Ingeniería Cuatro)
-
The description contained in this profile was taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been automatical...
- Company: Servicio de Salud Iquique
-
Public Service in charge of the Tarapacá Region Health Assistance Network.