Australian airline Qantas has launched a new carbon offsetting scheme for all of its international and domestic passengers.

To mark the introduction of the initiative, the carrier said it will offset the carbon emissions from all of its flights on September 19th, when the scheme officially begins.

Qantas has also set itself the target of saving over two million tonnes of carbon dioxide by June 2011 and has reiterated its commitment to investing in greener aircraft to reduce its emissions.

"Under our $25 billion [£10.5 billion] fleet investment programme, we are taking advantage of the latest airframe and engine designs, with both the B787 and A380 set to deliver improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions in the range of ten to 25 per cent," commented Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon.

The carrier currently operates a number of flights from the UK to destinations such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.

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