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Boeing announces major initiatives to develop, commercialize and fly sustainable jet biofuels in China
Fri 28 May 2010 - Boeing and PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer, have signed an agreement to evaluate establishing a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in the country. The US aircraft manufacturer says the strategic assessment is the first such effort in China and will study the environmental and socio-economic benefits of developing sustainable alternatives to fossil-based jet fuels. Another Chinese initiative by Boeing that is researching algae-based aviation biofuels has been expanded to include other research institutions and aviation supply chain entities. Also announced, a biofuel test flight will be conducted by Air China using sustainable biofuel derived from biomass grown and processed in China. Read more ...
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US airline EU ETS case against the UK to be referred to European court as NGO coalition joins action
Fri 28 May 2010 - A judicial review held yesterday at the High Court in London agreed an application by the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) to challenge the legal validity of its airline members be included unilaterally in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The action was brought against the UK's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and both sides' request for the case be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg was granted. The court also granted permission for a transatlantic coalition of environmental groups to join the action. Similar applications by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the National Airlines Council of Canada to intervene were also granted although as a combined brief. Read more ...
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PARTNER publishes first comprehensive study into comparing life-cycle GHG emissions of aviation alternative fuels
Thu 27 May 2010 - The first-ever study into a comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a range of alternative aviation fuels has been published by the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER), based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The work uses consistent methodologies to facilitate equitable comparisons, with a range of life-cycle GHG emissions provided for each feedstock. Importantly, it provides an examination of emissions from land use change, a current issue of concern. The range of drop-in fuels studied cover Fischer-Tropsch fuels as well Hydrotreated Renewable Jet fuels such as from jatropha, although camelina, which has already been used on test flights, will be analyzed only in a future study. The report was sponsored by the FAA. Read more ...
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Boeing reviews its overall environmental performance to reduce emissions and waste in new report
Wed 26 May 2010 - Boeing has reported that it has managed to reduce overall CO2 emissions at its major US manufacturing facilities by 31 percent on a revenue-adjusted basis since 2002. Boeing is now stepping up pressure on its suppliers to meet environmental standards. New contracting provisions will be introduced later this year that will establish suppliers' environmental initiatives as a key factor in doing business with the plane maker. This and a range of numerous other activities Boeing is undertaking to reduce its environmental impact are detailed in its 2010 Environmental Report published last week. Read more ...
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US climate bill is a "blunt and inappropriate instrument" that would cost airlines $5bn a year, says ATA
Tue 25 May 2010 - The American Power Act proposed by US senators Kerry and Lieberman represented the "wrong approach for aviation," said Nancy Young, Vice President Environment of the Air Transport Association of America (ATA). She estimated the cost to airlines and their passengers in 2013, should the bill be passed, would be around $5 billion, based on a predicted carbon price of $25 per tonne. However, she accepted there were some positive aspects in the draft bill, notably an exemption for bio-derived fuels and recognition that aviation greenhouse gas emissions should be addressed internationally. Meanwhile, Young revealed the action brought by the ATA and three US airlines against their inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is due to be heard in the UK High Court on May 27. Read more ...
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Airline group working to develop sustainable jet biofuels pledges renewed support for standards process
Mon 24 May 2010 - The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) has pledged continuing support to the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), the Swiss-based body that is seeking to develop internationally approved standards in biofuel sustainability. The RSB has been hit by the recent resignations of two top biofuel trade organizations, the European Bioethanol Fuel Association (eBIO) and the European Biodiesel Board. In an open letter to the RSB Secretariat, SAFUG members said the RSB effort was pivotal in enabling the development of global and regional aviation fuel markets, and important for the future of the aviation industry. Read more ...
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Amsterdam Schiphol launches new knowledge centre to develop innovative sustainable solutions
Mon 24 May 2010 - Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has inaugurated a dedicated state-of-the-art facility, called theGROUNDS, to develop innovative applications for making the airport more environmentally sustainable. The first partners to participate in the initiative include TU Delft, Wageningen University & Research Centre, Imtech and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Initial projects to be developed by the partners include sustainable energy, water and mobility solutions, and Schiphol is also seeking to further develop a microalgae pilot project at the facility. The airport is aiming for its ground operations to become carbon neutral by 2012. Read more ...
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MIT unveils two new radical airplane designs that could reduce fuel and emissions by up to 70 percent
Fri 21 May 2010 - In what could set the stage for a fundamental shift in commercial aviation, a research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has unveiled two radical green airplanes that are estimated to use up to 70 percent less fuel than current planes while also reducing noise and emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), reports Morgan Bettex. The researchers have come up with a 737-type replacement called the 'double bubble' and a longer range 'hybrid wing body' version. The team presented the designs to NASA last month as part of a $2.1 million research contract to develop environmental and performance concepts that will help guide the agency’s aeronautics research over the next 25 years. Read more ...
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JAL achieves Eco-First recognition and pledges a 23 percent improvement in fuel efficiency
Fri 21 May 2010 - Japan's Ministry of the Environment has presented Japan Airlines Group (JAL) with its Eco-First award in recognition of the airline's various environmental conservation initiatives. The Eco-First programme was established in 2008 to encourage environmental preservation activities by companies in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. During the past year, JAL has been involved with trialling new advanced flight operational measures and earlier last year conducted Asia's first sustainable jet biofuel flight. JAL has also made an Eco-First Pledge in which it resolves to achieve a 23 percent reduction in CO2 emissions per revenue-tonne-kilometre (RTK) in 2020 compared with levels in 2005. Read more ...
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Brazilian industry and airlines form alliance to develop sustainable aviation biofuels
Thu 20 May 2010 - Following a recent meeting in Sao Paulo, ten organizations have agreed to form the Brazilian Alliance for Aviation Biofuels (ABRABA). They include four airlines - Azul Brazilian Airlines, GOL, TAM and TRIP - as well as aircraft manufacturer Embraer and the Brazilian Aerospace Industry Association (AIAB). Representing the biofuels industry are producers and developers of biomass sources such as jatropha, sugarcane and algae. The alliance follows an announcement by TAM that the airline will carry out Latin America's first commercial aircraft biofuel flight during the second half of 2010 using a 50/50 blend of jatropha and conventional jet fuel. Azul, meanwhile, has scheduled a sugarcane-derived jet biofuel demonstration flight in 2012. Read more ...
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Growth in GHG emissions from European domestic flights far outstrips transportation sector as a whole
Thu 6 May 2010 - According to a report just published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), greenhouse gas emissions from domestic civil aviation across the 32 EEA member countries rose from 19.19 million tonnes in 1990 to 29.65 million tonnes in 2007, an increase of 54 percent. Emissions from the European transportation sector as a whole, excluding those from international aviation and shipping, increased by 28 percent over the same period. However, the EEA notes a recent slow-down in the growth of aviation emissions, which looks set to continue in the short term, it forecasts. Meanwhile, CO2 emissions from jet fuel consumption in the US fell by over 9 percent in 2009 to the lowest since 1987, suggests latest data from the US Energy Information Administration. Read more ...
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Brazilian airline TAM to conduct nationally-sourced jatropha jet biofuel demonstration flight
Wed 5 May 2010 - TAM has announced it will carry out a demonstration flight during the second half of 2010 using a 50/50 blend of jatropha and conventional jet fuel onboard a CFM-powered Airbus A320 belonging to the airline. This will be Latin America's first commercial aircraft biofuel flight and the jatropha has already been sourced from family agricultural projects and large farms in various parts of Brazil. TAM says the cultivation and harvesting of the jatropha seeds have complied with the non-competing with potable water and food production principles of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), which it joined last November. Read more ...
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ETS Aviation's carbon footprinting software to be integrated into pilots' electronic flight bags
Wed 5 May 2010 - ETS Aviation, which specializes in aviation emissions Monitoring, Reporting and Verification software systems and support services, has signed an agreement with Canadian electronic flight bag company On-Board Data Systems (OBDS) that will provide pilots with a simple, on-board emissions reporting and carbon footprinting application. ETS Aviation was established in response to the introduction of the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and has developed what it claims is the world's first online aviation emissions monitoring and reporting system, called Aviation Footprinter. Read more ...
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British Airways introduces cabin differential into its passenger carbon offset scheme
Wed 5 May 2010 - British Airways has this week introduced a new feature to its passenger carbon offset scheme in which customers will be able to offset their carbon emissions based not only on the distance flown but also by the cabin they fly in. This means customers travelling in premium cabins, who have more space on the aircraft, will pay more than was previously calculated, whilst those in economy class will pay less. The new offset facility applies to all bookings made through ba.com. The airline says passengers have contributed over $2.4 million since the scheme was re-launched in January 2008.
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Schiphol office building awarded BREEAM international sustainability construction certificate
Tue 4 May 2010 - The Dutch Green Building Council has awarded Schiphol Group, operator of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the first BREEAM-NL certificate for its sustainable construction of the new TransPort office building at Schiphol-East. Rated as 'Very Good', this is the first time the certificate has been awarded for a Dutch building. BREEAM is the quality mark that assesses the sustainability of buildings around the world on aspects such as energy, ecology, transport, materials and health. This summer the building will be assessed for its eligibility for LEED certification. Read more ...
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United Airlines conducts first US commercial flight using natural gas-derived synthetic jet fuel blend
Tue 4 May 2010 - United Airlines, now the world's largest airline following its merger with Continental Airlines, completed an engineering validation flight last Friday (Apr 30) using a synthetic fuel blended 40/60 with conventional Jet A fuel in one of the two engines on an Airbus A319 aircraft. This is the first commercial flight to take place in the US using a synthetic jet fuel, which were certified for commercial use in blends up to 50/50 by technical standards organization ASTM International in 2009. The natural gas-derived fuel was supplied by Los Angeles-based Rentech and the results of the performance and environmental analysis are expected Read more ...
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