Virgin Atlantic·Aerospace·Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom·Founded 1976·Last verified 31 May 2026
28
out of 100
Significant gapsPending Review

Virgin Atlantic reports operational emissions transparently but lacks third-party verification and supply chain granularity. Absolute emissions are rising as the airline expands capacity despite intensity improvements. The company faced ASA ad bans for SAF greenwashing, continued making banned claims on social media, and opposes demand-management climate policy. Nature impacts are entirely unreported.

The calculation

Every score shows its working.

Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.

SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale
Industry base impact
Aerospace sector ceiling.
38 / 100
Performance score
Sum of the 10 rubric questions, scored 0–10 each.
33 / 100
Raw score
Weighted average before scale penalty.
(0.3 × 38) + (0.7 × 33) = 34.5
Scale penalty
Multiplier based on absolute emissions volume — physics-first.
× 0.82
Final score
Rounded. Significant gaps.
28 / 100
The ten questions

Where Virgin Atlantic is strong, and where it isn't.

Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Targets & Commitments (5/10, 5/10). Weakest on Nature & Biodiversity Impact and Water Impact (1/10, 2/10).

Where the evidence comes from

Every document used, listed.

12 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.

9 of 12 sources are third-party verified or public record.

[1]Third-party verified
DitchCarbon — Virgin Atlantic Emissions Profile
Ongoing
Q1Q2Q3
View →
[2]Self-reported
Virgin Atlantic 2023 Carbon Methodology Statement
2023
Q1Q9
View →
[3]Third-party verified
ICF — Virgin Atlantic Flight100 Lifecycle Assessment Report
2023
Q2Q6
View →
[4]Self-reported
Virgin Atlantic 2024 Financial Results
2024
Q3
View →
[5]Self-reported
Virgin Atlantic Sustainability Programme Overview
Ongoing
Q4Q5Q7Q9
View →
[6]Third-party verified
ICF — Aviation Clients: Virgin Atlantic Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Unknown
Q4
View →
[7]Third-party verified
Virgin's Net-Zero Targets Approved by Science Based Target Initiative
2025
Q8
View →
[8]Public record
ESG Today — Virgin's Net-Zero Goals Approved by SBTi
2025
Q8
View →
[9]Public record
ASA Ruling — Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd G23-1224417
2024
Q10
View →
[10]Third-party verified
Greenpeace Unearthed — Misleading Green Claims UK Ad Bans
2025
Q10
View →
[11]Third-party verified
We Are Possible — Airline Greenwash Complaint
2023
Q10
View →
[12]Third-party verified
InfluenceMap — Airlines and European Climate Policy
Unknown
Q10
View →

If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.

Virgin Atlantic in context

Where Virgin Atlantic sits among aerospace peers.

Among the 18 major aerospace brands we've scored, Virgin Atlantic is tied =4th of 18, with 1 other.

=4/18
Virgin Atlantic's rank
26
Industry average
20
Industry low
39
Industry high
How this score has moved

Virgin Atlantic's score over time.

today

Score history begins 6 April 2026.

As Virgin Atlantic's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.

We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.

What's being contested

This score is not currently being contested.

Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.

No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is a UK-based airline founded in 1976, operating long-haul and European routes from Crawley, West Sussex. The carrier operates approximately 70 aircraft serving destinations across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. As a mid-sized international airline, it competes with legacy carriers and budget operators while facing pressure to decarbonize aviation.

Founded
1976
Headquarters
Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Employees
~8,875 (2016)
Annual revenue
~£3.3B
Company website ↗
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