On the About Us page of the Swiss Helicopter website, before you get to the company mission statement, a careers section or even a list of employees, you’ll see a section marked “Sustainability.”  

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That’s not an accident.  

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Aiming High

Founded in 2012 through the merger of several companies, Swiss Helicopter now operates a fleet of around 30 helicopters across 15 bases in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. From passenger travel and flight training to critical cargo, aid missions, and disaster relief, Swiss Helicopter is essential for navigating the stunning, yet rugged Alpine terrain.

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However, like much of the aviation industry, Swiss Helicopter faces steep sustainability challenges. Despite the company’s leadership recognizing sustainability as a core business objective in 2021, reducing emissions from flight operations proved particularly tough.  While Swiss Helicopter plans to transition from traditional fossil fuels to low-emission Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), these alternatives are expensive and not yet available in the dimension that would be needed to sustain full flight operations. Even if it were, European regulations limit the use of SAF to just 50% of the total fuel composition for flight.

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To meet the growing demand for what they call “CO2-neutral” or “climate-compensated” flights, Swiss Helicopter knew they needed to balance their remaining emissions in a way that aligned with their values—locally impactful, credible, and trustworthy. Crucially, this solution also had to be ready to go the moment a flight was booked, making it seamless for their customers.

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Enter Carbonfuture.

From Leader to Pioneer

In 2023, Swiss Helicopter partnered with Carbonfuture to create a custom portfolio of durable carbon removal credits tailored to its sustainability goals. Through Carbonfuture’s network of suppliers, Swiss Helicopter ensured that mainly local carbon removal projects would directly benefit from this collaboration. With the support of Carbonfuture MRV+, Swiss Helicopter gained full transparency into the carbon removal lifecycle—complete with digital tracking, third-party verification, and certification—allowing them to invest confidently and offer passengers fully climate-compensated flights.

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One of Swiss Helicopter’s key business challenges was offering CDR credits upfront, rather than after the point of purchase. By integrating the Carbonfuture API, credits are automatically sold and retired at the time of booking the flight, meeting the growing demand for climate-conscious travel. This partnership also secured a steady, predictably prized supply of CDR credits, ensuring Swiss Helicopter could offer CO2 compensation on all passenger flights beginning in 2023.

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This milestone not only advanced the company’s sustainability goals but also provided a significant business advantage. As the first helicopter operator in Switzerland to offer flights fully compensated with durable carbon removal, Swiss Helicopter set itself apart from the competition, meeting customer demand while leading the industry in environmental responsibility.

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“As the leading helicopter company in Switzerland, we want to do our part to contribute to protecting our climate and environment,” said Simon Baumann, Deputy Compliance Monitoring Manager for Swiss Helicopter. “We’re the first in Switzerland to take this step, and we’ve had great customer feedback on our sustainability efforts so far.”