Flight: Base Empreinte 🇫🇷
Calculate passenger flight emissions with ADEME's Base Empreinte data, which reflects aircraft size, fuel type and the radiative forcing index (RFI).
Base Empreinte, managed by ADEME, is an environmental impact database that combines data from Base Carbone and Base IMPACTS. Its flight data reflects aircraft size, fuel type and other parameters needed for carbon footprint assessments. The methodology applies the RFI to account for the climate impact of aviation emissions beyond CO₂.
Sample requests
Send a quote while the traveller is still choosing a flight, then repeat the call with audit set to true once the booking is final. The body is otherwise identical.
{
"expand": ["items"],
"items": [{
"audit": false,
"type": "flight",
"methodology": "BASE-EMPREINTE",
"external_reference": "test_1",
"number_of_travelers": 1,
"origin": "FRA",
"destination": "JFK",
"aircraft_size": "under_220_seats",
"radiative_forcing_index": true
}]
}audit_for is optional
Pass the ID of an auditable entity when you calculate on behalf of that entity. Otherwise, leave it out.
Defaults
When a field is missing, SQUAKE fills it in before calculating.
| Field | Default | Applies when |
|---|---|---|
radiative_forcing_index | true | No radiative_forcing_index is sent |
aircraft_size | average | No aircraft_size is sent |
Request fields
typestringrequiredflight
methodologystringrequiredBASE-EMPREINTE
originstringIATA/ICAO airport code (MUC), UN/LOCODE for other locations (DEHAM), or latitude and longitude (+40.712,-74.006). For multi-leg trips, use routing instead.
destinationstringSame formats as origin.
routingstringHyphen-separated airports for multi-leg itineraries, instead of origin and destination. See Flight: Routing (multi-leg).
distance_in_kmnumberTakes priority over origin and destination. Without it, SQUAKE resolves the distance from them. With routing, per-leg distances apply.
aircraft_sizeenumValues such as under_220_seats, under_50_seats or under_50_seats_jet. Defaults to the average if you leave it out.
radiative_forcing_indexbooleanDefaults to true.
number_of_travelersintegerMinimum 1. Defaults to 1.
external_referencestringYour identifier for the item, up to 128 characters, so you can match results to requests. SQUAKE doesn't guarantee the order of items.
sustainable_fuelsbooleanMarks the use of sustainable fuels. This lowers the emissions SQUAKE calculates, but isn't part of the current official frameworks.
carbon_reduction_percentage_of_totalnumberShare of emissions reduced by sustainable fuel, from 0 to 1. Defaults to 0.
auditbooleanSet to true to create immutable audit records for finalised calculations. Must be enabled for your account.
POST /v2/calculations in the API referenceSample response
{
"carbon_quantity": 632000,
"carbon_unit": "gram",
"items": [{
"carbon_quantity": 632000,
"carbon_unit": "gram",
"external_reference": "test_1",
"type": "flight",
"methodology": "BASE-EMPREINTE",
"distance": 6320.0,
"distance_unit": "kilometer"
}]
}Bibliography
- ADEME (2025). Base Empreinte - Données d’impacts environnementaux. ademe.fr/base-empreinte
- ADEME (2024). Base Carbone Methodological Guide. ademe.fr/base-carbone
- ADEME (2023). Documentation on aviation emission factors. Available through official ADEME publications.
- Eurocontrol (2022). Aircraft performance and fuel consumption statistics.