US airlines look to come to terms with the possibility of climate change legislation and regulation
Tue 28 Apr 2009 - Climate change has moved high on the US political agenda over the last month. This week, the Obama administration is convening a meeting of 17 major nations in Washington to begin talks on international action as a prelude to the UN climate summit in December. Tougher regulations on aircraft greenhouse gas emissions are now likely from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the proposed Waxman-Markey bill currently being debated on Capitol Hill seeks to introduce an emissions cap-and-trade system that will impact on US airlines. Read more ...
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Qatar Airways signs agreement to join the new IATA carbon offsetting programme
Tue 28 Apr 2009 - Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to offer its passengers an opportunity to offset the carbon emissions of their flights. The Middle East carrier is the first to announce it is to join IATA's new carbon offset programme. Three other airlines, so far unnamed, have signed Memorandums of Understanding with IATA, one of which is expected to be the first to go live in early June. IATA says it hopes to have around 14 airlines in the programme by year end. Read more ...
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Virgin America to be first US airline to report its greenhouse gas emissions to The Climate Registry
Fri 24 Apr 2009 - Virgin America has become the first airline to join The Climate Registry, the non-profit organization that sets standards to calculate, verify and report greenhouse gas emissions. The airline will report accurate and recognized emissions data as a Member on an annual basis as it measures and manages its emissions and CO2 reduction goals. Although the move is voluntary, it comes as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers how to design a mandatory GHG emissions reporting system in which The Climate Registry could play a future role. Read more ...
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The United States and China sign agreement to share environmental best practices at airports
Fri 24 Apr 2009 - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which they will work together to share best environmental practices at airports in the two countries. The CAAC reports that the country plans to spend $30 billion on aviation infrastructure in 2009 and $17 billion on airport construction and expansion over the next five years. By 2020, China is expected to have a total of 244 civil airports, including 97 new airports, with around 40 new projects expected to start during this year alone. Read more ...
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Air Liquide to lead hydrogen-powered airport ground technology and infrastructure project at Montreal
Wed 22 Apr 2009 - International gases company Air Liquide is to lead a CAN$14 million (US$11.3m) project to supply a range of hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies as well as a hydrogen fuelling station at Montreal - Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and also at another airport at a later date. It will involve converting passenger shuttle buses as well as passenger and utility vehicles, and other hydrogen generated stationary and auxiliary power applications. Meanwhile, Athens International Airport says it has so far converted 26 company vehicles to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) with another 24 to follow shortly. Read more ...
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Etihad Airways partners with Abu Dhabi's Masdar to develop carbon and waste reduction initiatives
Wed 22 Apr 2009 - In line with Abu Dhabi's vision as a world leader in clean technology, Etihad Airways has signed a partnership agreement with Masdar, a multi-billion dollar, multi-faceted initiative to establish the emirate as a centre for future energy innovation. Masdar will work with Etihad to support the implementation of the airline's environmental initiatives, particularly in relation to carbon and waste management. Under the agreement, Etihad will also support the bid of the United Arab Emirates to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency. Read more ...
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LFV introduces new airspace system that will allow straighter routes and reduced emissions over Sweden
Thu 9 Apr 2009 - From today, certain flight routes over Sweden will be straighter as a result of a new system called Free Route Airspace Sweden (FRAS), which is being introduced for a trial period of two years. FRAS will allow flights cruising above flight level 285 (about 9,000 metres) and north of the 61st parallel to choose their own routes. Air navigation service provider LFV says that as a result, CO2 emissions can be reduced by around 17,000 tonnes per year. Read more ...
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Worldwide aviation is one of the most rapidly growing sources of CO2 emissions, claims new research study
Wed 8 Apr 2009 - The total influence of aviation on climate is considerably greater than has been suggested solely on the basis of its current 2.8 percent share of current anthropogenic fossil CO2 emissions, says two leading European climate researchers. Their analysis shows that from its beginnings in 1940 through to 2005, civil aviation has been responsible for a rise in global mean temperatures of around 0.028 degrees C, representing approximately 4.7 percent of the total anthropogenic change. Read more ...
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MINT project gets underway at Stockholm-Arlanda to reduce emissions and noise through navigation procedures
Tue 7 Apr 2009 - A new six month project has been launched that will trial Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures during descent and approach at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport by an Airbus A321 aircraft operated by Novair. The Minimum CO2 in TMA (MINT) project will demonstrate how CO2 emissions and noise reductions can be achieved by optimizing the vertical profile and reducing the distance of the lateral track during operations through the use of RNP. The project, with an anticipated 10 demonstration flight trials taking place, is being undertaken under the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE). Read more ...
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New biomass boiler at Stansted Airport performs beyond expectations as gas consumption drops sharply
Tue 7 Apr 2009 - London's Stansted Airport says its new state of the art biomass boiler, powered by woodchip to heat the terminal building, has helped reduce annual gas consumption at the airport by nearly 40 percent. Part of the £50 million ($73.5m) terminal extension completed in 2008, the biomass technology was introduced to make the development carbon neutral and designed to support the gas-fired boilers that have heated the terminal since its opening in the early 1990s. However, its performance since last November has proved so efficient that it is now the airport's primary boiler. Read more ...
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Airline climate change group outlines at UNFCCC talks how aviation emissions can be tackled post-Kyoto
Tue 7 Apr 2009 - The Aviation Global Deal (AGD) Group yesterday presented UN climate change negotiators with a draft policy framework for addressing CO2 emissions from international aviation that could help provide the basis of an agreement at the UNFCCC Copenhagen summit in December. The group, which comprises British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France/KLM, Virgin Atlantic, BAA and international NGO The Climate Group, has come up with a number of proposals, some controversial, that include setting a global emissions target and the setting up of a sectoral emissions cap-and-trade scheme. Read more ...
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Aviation industry calls for renewed efforts by ICAO to find a global solution on emissions by Copenhagen
Fri 3 Apr 2009 - Aviation industry leaders have called on ICAO to "redouble its efforts" to provide a sectoral framework for a global solution on reducing aviation emissions that can be taken to the UNFCCC climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. Mounting concerns over the lack of progress of ICAO's GIACC process were expressed during the two-day Aviation & Environment Summit in Geneva organized by the ATAG. British Airways chief Willie Walsh said there was a genuine threat to the industry if an agreement was not reached. Read more ...
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Two air navigation initiatives announced that could save over 13 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually
Thu 2 Apr 2009 - During the course of the Aviation & Environment Summit just concluded in Geneva, two initiatives involving Performance-based Navigation (PBN) and Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) were announced. PBN is an ICAO-led air navigation satellite-based concept that if implemented worldwide could potentially lead to a cut of 13 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The European aviation industry has launched a joint action plan designed to reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by over 500,000 tonnes annually by implementing CDAs at up to 100 airports across Europe by the end of 2013. Read more ...
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