Aircraft electrification: developing a strategy to facilitate greener air travel Thu 18 July 2019 – The electrification of aircraft has been an ongoing research and development topic for the past few decades with focus on the electrification of non-propulsive systems of existing and near-future aircraft platforms. However, in the last few years there has been an acceleration of work into electrification of propulsion. This has been informed by advancements in electrification technologies in other transport platforms such as automotive, a greater realisation by stakeholders that electrification of propulsion is a fundamental ingredient in meeting future aviation emission targets and demand for alternative mobility modes. Professor Chris Gerada reports on a recent University of Nottingham workshop attended by stakeholders from across the world aimed at developing a strategy for future electrified aircraft and to understand the key challenges, requirements and potential solutions. Read more ...
|
European task force works to maximise environmental benefits of aircraft continuous descent and climb operations Thu 11 July 2019 - A Continuous Descent Operation (CDO) is an aircraft operating technique where an arriving aircraft descends with minimum thrust, ideally from top of descent, and avoids level flight to the extent permitted by the safe operation of the aircraft. Along with its departure equivalent, the Continuous Climb Operation (CCO), the technique can provide substantial noise, fuel and CO2 reductions. In 2015, a European CCO/CDO Task Force was set up to agree a harmonised approach to definitions, metrics and parameters. Another outcome was a study that showed optimising CCO/CDO across ECAC States could provide fuel savings of up to 350,000 tonnes per year and reductions of more than 1 million tonnes of CO2. The Task Force is currently developing a toolkit that includes an action plan, state of play report and other resources to support CCO/CDO implementation for launch expected in late 2019, explains EUROCONTROL's David Brain. Read more ...
|
CORSIA creates compliance complexities for aircraft owners and lessors, as well as operators Fri 5 Apr 2019 - The airline industry has generally welcomed the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) new CORSIA carbon offsetting scheme for international aviation, which went into effect on 1 January 2019. However, CORSIA's Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) impose an immediate compliance obligation on international airlines and raises a number of potential and unforeseen credit, political and reputational risks, not only for operators but also for aircraft owners and lessors, write Jordan Labkon and Barry Moss. It is important that owners and financiers understand the basic functions of the scheme, monitor the evolving landscape of requirements and the consequences of non-compliance, and consider implementation of risk mitigation measures in lease and loan documentation. Read more ...
|
CORSIA offset supply - the importance of vintage in determining scheme's cost and environmental integrity Wed 3 Apr 2019 - The ICAO Council has now adopted long-awaited eligibility standards that set guidelines for what types of units airlines can use to offset their emissions growth under CORSIA. There are currently about two billion carbon offsets in circulation produced by the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), with a large proportion already used by governments and companies for compliance purposes. If the remaining units - and those to be generated by CDM projects in the future - are allowed under the aviation scheme, their volume would far surpass demand for offsets by air carriers. On the flipside, restricting the amount of CDM units eligible under CORSIA to only those with high environmental integrity would severely limit offset supply. This analysis by Refinitiv highlights a few possible offset unit supply scenarios, each reflecting potential restrictions to CDM unit eligibility on the basis of the recently elaborated offset criteria. Read more ...
|
|