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Industry and academia to collaborate on new UK aero engine emissions reduction research programme
Fri 31 July 2009 - A research and development programme, backed by investment totalling £40 million ($66m), has been launched in the UK to accelerate the development and introduction of low carbon aircraft engine technology. The programme, to be led by Rolls-Royce, will be delivered by the Technology Strategy Board, the non-departmental government body that supports UK business in the development of innovative technology, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. It aims to ensure the UK aero engine industry remains competitive as it strives to meet the ACARE 2020 targets on CO2, NOx and noise emission reductions from new aircraft and engines. Read more ...
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EERC awarded subcontract by SAIC to help produce military renewable jet fuel from algae
Fri 31 July 2009 - The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota has been awarded a subcontract by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to help produce military JP-8 jet fuel from algae. Funding for the work is coming from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is seeking to develop the technical capability and ultimately commercialize the affordable production of military JP-8 surrogate fuel from algal feedstocks. Last week, renewable JP-8 fuel developed and produced by EERC successfully powered a rocket test flight. Read more ...
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Leading Middle East carriers step up their responsibilities towards environmental sustainability
Wed 29 July 2009 - Qatar Airways has been elected as a member of the International Air Transport Association's Environment Committee (ENCOM), which advises the relevant IATA bodies on environmental matters and acts a focal point for other IATA airline members. Qatar says its appointment is an acknowledgement of the airline's achievements and contribution towards environmental sustainability. Bahrain's national carrier, Gulf Air, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the country's environment agency on a range of environmental practice initiatives to be carried out by the airline. Read more ...
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New report suggests the airline sector will have to pay over one billion euros in 2012 to join the EU ETS
Tue 28 July 2009 - The aviation sector could possibly face a shortfall of 77 million tonnes of CO2 when it enters the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in 2012, estimates a report to be published this week by RDC Aviation and Point Carbon. At the current spot price of 14.40 euros per tonne of CO2, the cost of having to purchase the necessary credits is therefore likely to be in the region of 1.1 billion euros ($1.56bn). The airlines facing the largest shortfalls are British Airways and the US carriers, particularly Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The two largest European low-cost carriers, Ryanair and easyJet, could also face heavy shortfalls. Read more ...
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Consultation on EU ETS auction regulations suggests low market liquidity for aviation emission allowances
Fri 24 July 2009 - A European Commission consultation on future EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) auctioning rules, which will have major implications for aircraft operators joining the scheme from 2012, has just one week to run. An EU Regulation must be adopted by 30 June 2010 on timing, administration and other aspects of auctioning within the EU ETS. The consultation, which is being carried out by ICF International, has a section devoted to the auctioning of EU Aviation Allowances (EUAAs). It calculates that some 210 million EUAAs per year will be issued, based on an estimated average 2004-2006 emissions cap, with around 30 million EUAAs to be auctioned. The consultation warns that because there will be a relative scarcity of EUAAs, the liquidity of this secondary market may be lower than for EUAs. Read more ...
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Use of jet biofuels by airlines should be mandated in the EU from 2020, says UK think tank report
Thu 23 July 2009 - A new report, entitled 'Greener skies thinking', by the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange recommends that in order to meet 2050 emissions targets there must be a wide-scale deployment of sustainable bio-jet fuels. It calls for the setting of achievable and enforceable targets for replacing standard kerosene jet fuel with bio-jet fuel from 2020 through the implementation of an EU-wide Sustainable Bio-jet Fuel Blending Mandate. The mandate would see the proportion of bio-derived blended jet fuel rise from 20 percent in 2020 to 80 percent in 2050. Aviation is currently excluded from the EU Renewable Energy Directive on biofuels. Read more ...
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Air France-KLM continues to roll out environmental initiatives, says annual sustainable development report
Tue 21 July 2009 - According to its fifth annual sustainable development report just published, Air France-KLM says that despite the economic crisis, the group is continuing to pursue initiatives, including fleet renewal, to cut CO2 emissions in order to minimize its impact on climate change. Over the past year it made great efforts to reduce fuel consumption, it says, driven both by rocketing fuel consumption and concerns over the environment. Air France's fuel consumption in 2008 was 3.9 litres per 100 passenger-km, slightly better than the previous year and made savings of 146,000 tonnes of CO2 in the period April 2008 to March 2009. Air France-KLM has won the Environment category in Airline Business magazine's recent Airline Strategy Awards. Read more ...
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FAA claims technology has dramatically reduced the number of people exposed to high noise levels around US airports
Tue 21 July 2009 - The number of people affected by aircraft noise has fallen from about 7 million in the late 1970s to around 500,000 today, claims the US Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Environment, Noise Division, which tracks the agency's progress on noise reduction targets. However, the FAA warns the impact of noise will start to increase again soon and continue climbing as a result of continuing growth in air traffic unless there are advances developed through the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Meanwhile, Los Angeles World Airports has just launched a new online flight tracking and aircraft noise complaint system at its three airports. Read more ...
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The application of drug trials methodology points the way to understanding aviation and climate change
Tue 21 July 2009 - Academics from the UK's University of Southampton have undertaken a major review of the impact of aviation on climate change by uniquely applying systematic review methodology for drug appraisals to the subject. The study, a collaboration between the university's Schools of Engineering Sciences and Medicine, has just been awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society Silver Medal for 2009. By adapting replicable and transparent methods from the field of evidence-based medicine, the authors have calculated from existing data the lower and upper bounds for estimates of the effect of aviation on climate change in an objective manner. Read more ...
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Sweden begins wide-scale green approach testing as Spain starts a similar summer programme of its own
Mon 20 July 2009 - LFV and SAS have today started a week of wide-scale testing of continuous descent approaches (CDAs), or green approaches, throughout Sweden. The technique - which involves an aircraft descending continuously to the airport using almost no engine thrust thus reducing fuel consumption, emissions and noise - was first implemented on a small scale at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport in 2006 and has since been refined and developed. The Spanish testing brings together Iberia Airlines, airport and ATC authority AENA and the Ineco transport engineering firm and will determine the environmental benefits of CDAs around airports. Read more ...
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Finnair launches online tool for business travellers to produce their own environmental reports
Mon 20 July 2009 - Finnair has added a service for companies to produce their own environmental reporting for their travel. The 'Eco-Report' tool on its Feel Finnair site enables comparison of the environmental impact of flight routes via different transit airports. Using the tool, emissions can be reported for internal and external stakeholder information purposes. The airline is promoting its hub in Helsinki as offering the most direct and environmentally-friendly routes between Europe and Asia, claiming connections via the northerly location can be as much as almost a fifth shorter than the same trip taken through other European connecting hubs. Read more ...
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Aviation industry sustainable fuels group adds five new airline members and announces halophytes research
Tue 14 July 2009 - The airline-led Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group has announced five new members – Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue. Current members include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA, Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic. Boeing, which plays a leading role in the group, and refining technology developer Honeywell's UOP are associate members. The group lays down a strict sustainability criteria for the development of plant sources for jet biofuels. The group said it will launch a sustainability assessment of halophytes as a possible biofuel source later in the year. Read more ...
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UK decision to push back emissions reporting deadline leaves aviation EU ETS implementation in confusion
Mon 13 July 2009 - The UK has blamed Brussels for its failure transpose the EU directive on the aviation ETS into national legislation in time to comply with the August 31 deadline by which operators were required to submit emissions monitoring and benchmarking plans. A government statement said there first needed to be a "firm and agreed" list of operators to be regulated by each EU member state. As this list was not now expected to be published by the Commission until later this month, the UK government says it is legally unable to lay the first stage of regulations transposing the directive. Operators will now be required to submit their plans within 11 weeks after the regulations are laid before Parliament, which could move the deadline to late October. Other EU States have no plans, so far, to follow the UK's decision but few appear able to transpose the directive before the end of August. Read more ...
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Alaska Airlines carries out next-generation approach procedures at Seattle in Greener Skies initiative
Fri 10 July 2009 - Alaska Airlines has begun testing of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The carrier estimates the satellite-based descent procedures will cut fuel consumption by 2.1 million gallons annually, reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tonnes and reduce overflight noise exposure for an estimated 750,000 people living within the affected Puget Sound flight corridor. Planning and testing will continue through the remainder of the year and the airline is hopeful of FAA approval for the procedures in 2010, which could then be used by all properly equipped carriers serving the airport. Read more ...
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NASA teams with Seambiotic on R&D programme to optimize algae growth for aviation fuel development
Fri 10 July - NASA Glenn Research Center and the US subsidiary of Israel-based Seambiotic have signed an agreement to develop a research and development programme to optimize open-pond microalgae growth processes. The partners will work together to improve production processes and to study and qualify algae oil from alternative species and production processes as candidate aviation fuel at NASA's test facilities. NASA's Ames Research Center is investigating the potential of algae as an aviation biofuel and is growing algae in plastic bags of sewage floating in the ocean Read more ...
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G8 leaders support a post-2012 sectoral approach for international aviation to accelerate emissions reductions
Fri 10 July 2009 - World leaders meeting at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, have called for attention to be devoted to sectors such as international aviation and shipping as they represent a "significant and growing" source of emissions. In a declaration issued at the summit the leaders affirmed they would use their participation in the UN agencies ICAO, IMO and UNFCCC "to reach an agreed outcome for the post-2012 period to rapidly advance towards accelerated emission reductions for the international aviation and maritime sectors." The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the declaration and said the G8 target to reduce global emissions by 50 percent by 2050 was aligned with the aviation industry's own goals. Read more ...
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UPS Airlines sets a new reduction goal to cut carbon emissions by an additional 20 percent by 2020
Thu 9 July 2009 - Global freight and package delivery company UPS has announced it is intending to cut the carbon emissions of its airline by an additional 20 percent by 2020, representing a cumulative reduction of 42 percent across its fleet since 1990. UPS Airlines - which operates 282 aircraft, making it the ninth largest fleet in the world - claims to have the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the package airline sector. The carrier says in its latest Sustainability Report that its efficiency factor in 2008 was 1.42 CO2 lbs per available ton nautical mile and is now targeting a factor of 1.24 by 2020. As airline emissions make up 53 percent of the total UPS global carbon inventory, the company says the decision is critical to its overall environmental performance. Read more ...
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UK Prime Minister calls for international aviation to contribute towards a $100 billion global climate fund
Mon 6 July 2009 - UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for international aviation and maritime emissions to be included in the Copenhagen climate change talks in December. He has also proposed that a $100 billion fund for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries be created by 2020 to which the two industries should financially contribute. Brown was speaking at the launch of a government manifesto, The Road to Copenhagen, which spells out the aims and ambitions the UK has for a global climate change agreement. Read more ...
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Cathay Pacific and Dragonair purchase 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions for offset programme
Mon 6 July 2009 - Cathay Pacific Airways and sister airline Dragonair have purchased 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions from offset retailer JP Morgan ClimateCare for the two airlines' FLY greener offset programme. The offsets will be resold on a no-profit basis through the programme to passengers wishing to offset their carbon emissions. Up till March this year, a total of 30,000 tonnes of CO2 have been offset by passengers since the programme was launched in 2007. During 2008, travelling airline staff offset 11,814 tonnes of CO2 at a cost of around HK$900,000 ($116,000). Read more ...
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Arab carriers to adopt SITA's new carbon emissions measuring software tool for compliance with EU ETS
Fri 3 July 2009 - A new Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) software tool developed by air transport IT specialist SITA which measures carbon emissions so that aircraft operators can comply with the requirements of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has received the backing of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO). AACO recommends its airline members adopt SITA Aircraft Emissions Manager when it becomes commercially available in October. All carriers flying to, from and within Europe must submit plans for monitoring and reporting their CO2 emissions by August 31 in advance of a 2010 pre-compliance phase for the EU ETS, which will include aviation from 2012. Read more ...
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Australia set to become first country to establish a nationwide network of green flight paths
Thu 2 July 2009 - Airservices Australia and Naverus of the US have signed an agreement that will provide Australia with the world's first national network of green flight paths that could reduce annual carbon emissions by 122 million tonnes of CO2 when completed. In the ground-breaking move, the Australian air traffic control management organization and the global Performance-based Navigation (PBN) solutions provider will develop Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures (a form of PBN) for arrival and departure flight paths at up to 28 major airports around Australia over the next five years. Read more ...
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