Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility

Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility is a aviation facility operated by Qantas Airways Limited in National. Like all covered facilities, jet fuel combustion generates significant Scope 1 emissions across the national fleet. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2023–24, Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility reported emissions of 4.53 Mt against a baseline obligation of 4.47 Mt — an overage of 55 kt. The facility covered the 55 kt overage by purchasing 55,092 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) — credits generated by carbon abatement projects elsewhere in Australia such as soil carbon farming, avoided land clearing, and landfill gas capture.

Purchasing credits is legal and intended by the Safeguard Mechanism's design — the policy deliberately allows facilities to choose between cutting on-site emissions or funding abatement elsewhere in the economy. Whether credit purchases represent genuine long-term decarbonisation depends on whether the facility's absolute emissions are trending down over time. The chart above shows the trajectory since reporting began. This question applies to all covered facilities under the Safeguard Mechanism, not Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility specifically.

Across the aviation sector, 2 of 3 covered facilities reported emissions above their baseline in 2023–24. The table below compares Qantas Airways Limited National Transport Facility with other aviation facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.