Qantas and Virgin snubbed: local budget carrier named Australia's most emissions-efficient

Only one Australian airline carrier has ranked among the world's most emissions-efficient airlines.

Jetstar, a budget airline, nabbed the number-ten spot in Cirium's 2025 EmeraldSky Annual Review, sitting alongside a mix of low-cost and full-service heavyweights.

But fellow Australian airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia did not make the list.

Singapore-based Scoot took out the top spot.

But Qatar Airways, Ryanair and Turkish Airlines were recognised as the most efficient global airlines when ranked by seat capacity.

Griffith Institute for Tourism director Daniel Gschwind said the rankings focus on emissions per passenger kilometre, an important but not exhaustive measure of sustainability.

This ranking is dominated by budget or low-cost airlines with higher seat density than full-service carriers with business and first-class configurations, he said.

In other words, the emissions from one journey are shared by fewer passengers on those flights, giving budget airlines like Jetstar an advantage.

"From an emissions perspective, it is definitely more efficient to fly in a tight and crowded cabin rather than the front end of the plane," he said.

However, he noted that while environmental considerations are becoming more prominent, price, comfort and convenience still dominate traveller decision-making.

Airlines, he said, cannot afford to ignore emissions.

Fuel efficiency leads to critical cost savings, now more than ever.