NASA flight tests innovative technologies aimed at improving flight efficiency and environmental performance
Thu 18 Dec 2014 - NASA is currently testing two inventive technologies that could potentially improve flight efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. The first involves computer software, called Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR), that is designed to provide pilots with specific speed information and guidance so that planes can be more precisely spaced when approaching their destination airport, so minimising flight path deviations, allow more efficient use of existing airspace and possibly reducing noise over communities surrounding airports. The second is a wing surface made from advanced lightweight materials that can change shape in flight and could help airliners of the future become quieter and more fuel efficient. The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) project has recently included a successful flight test of a modified Gulfstream III at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Read more ...
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Airbus inks US sustainable aviation fuels MoU with Fischer-Tropsch specialist Emerging Fuels
Tue 16 Dec 2014 - The US-based operation of Airbus Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) specialist Emerging Fuels Technology (EFT) in efforts to commercialise technologies to produce sustainable fuels for aviation. EFT has developed a proprietary Advanced Fixed Bed F-T reactor and catalyst system that can convert synthesis gas from, it claims, virtually any carbonaceous feedstock into transportation fuels such as renewable diesel and sustainable jet fuel. The company recently signed a cooperation agreement with global energy infrastructure engineering, procurement and construction company Black & Veatch (B&V) that grants B&V exclusivity in representing EFT technologies in select markets and applications. Read more ...
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EU states tread warily on naming and shaming aircraft operators that have failed to comply with EU ETS rules
Mon 15 Dec 2014 - With barely three months to go before aircraft operators are due to report their 2013 and 2014 emissions for flights operated within the European Economic Area (EEA), a significant number of smaller operators and some high-profile airlines have yet to comply with the EU ETS regulations in force for 2012. Following an outcry over the inclusion of international flights to and from the EEA, and to allow ICAO to make progress on a global market-based measure, the EU backed down on the intended scope of its scheme. However, 20 months on, airlines from India, China and Russia, amongst others, have failed to surrender emission allowances for flights they operated within Europe in 2012. Despite the level of non-compliance, EU competent authorities have yet to name a single operator they have taken action against, mindful of the political sensitivities at stake. Read more ...
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South African venture to develop sustainable aviation fuels from tobacco plants progresses to next phase
Thu 11 Dec 2014 - A South African collaboration to investigate the potential of developing a sustainable jet fuel supply chain from a nicotine-free, energy-rich tobacco plant variety has progressed to the formal launch of Project Solaris. Following the August announcement of the partnership involving Boeing, South African Airways, SkyNRG and Sunchem SA, 50 hectares (123 acres) of the Solaris plant were seeded in September in Marble Hall, Limpopo province, and a first harvest is expected later this month. Oil from the resulting seeds may be converted into sustainable jet fuel as early as next year, with SAA planning to conduct a test flight using the fuel when practicable. If test farming is successful, the project will be expanded elsewhere in South Africa and potentially to other countries. Read more ...
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Conditional environmental permit progresses Hong Kong International's plans for a third runway
Wed 10 Dec 2014 - Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has made what it considers a major step towards its proposed expansion of the airport to a three-runway system with a decision by the government's Director of Environmental Protection to issue it with an environmental permit. The airport claims to be operating close to its maximum capacity but the expansion has proved controversial because of the potential impact on marine life in local waters, which has caused a delay in issuing the permit. The airport authority says it will now advance proposals for a promised marine park. The authority has also just released its annual sustainability report that shows a drop in electricity consumption at the airport despite growing passenger volumes, but waste disposal continues to present a challenge. Read more ...
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Finnish study identifies locally sourced green diesel as a route to aviation biofuel use if price can be met
Tue 9 Dec 2014 - A study commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and national aviation and biofuel companies has indicated the country is well positioned to start production of aviation biofuels but there are challenges over the higher costs of the fuels and whether airlines would be prepared to pay the differential. The study has examined different business models that could cover the additional costs but the authors say public aid would be required initially to kick-start the market. The extent of biofuel use would, in the end, depend on the interest and readiness of stakeholders to pay. The study identifies green, or renewable, diesel produced at Neste Oil's Porvoo refinery as a biocomponent for aviation fuel, which would require no separate investment in production although investment would be needed in logistics to make deployment cheaper and faster. Read more ...
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Airline improvement in efficiency outweighed by overall growth in CO2 emissions, finds annual ranking
Tue 9 Dec 2014 - The latest analysis by German climate company atmosfair of the airline industry's carbon footprint shows the world's largest airlines decreased their emissions by around one per cent in 2012 compared to the previous year when calculated on a per passenger and per kilometre basis. At the same time, total carbon emissions from the sector increased by around three per cent, driven by a rise in traffic volume of almost five per cent. The atmosfair Airline Index 2014 compared the emissions of 193 airlines worldwide to evaluate their CO2 efficiency, and covered 31.2 million flights representing 92 per cent of worldwide air traffic. With their higher seating densities and load factors, combined with modern aircraft fleets, charter carriers such TUIfly, Monarch and SunExpress achieved the highest rankings, with TAM, KLM and Japan Airlines doing well amongst scheduled carriers. Read more ...
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EU praises wider engagement on ICAO global measure for aviation emissions but concerned over environmental integrity
Fri 5 Dec 2014 - The EU welcomed current progress at ICAO on developing a global market-based measure (GMBM) for international aviation carbon emissions but it would be looking for certainty over the environmental integrity and objectives of the scheme, said a senior European Commission official in a Brussels debate this week. Important elements of the scheme would be the quality and eligibility of carbon offsets under a post-2020 global climate agreement and the challenge to establish obligations on ICAO states under competing principles, she said. Athar Husain Khan of the Association of European Airlines said the scheme should be as inclusive as possible without causing distortions or be discriminatory to operators. He also called for European domestic aviation emissions to be included in the GMBM and the sector withdrawn from the EU ETS after 2020. Jos Dings of T&E believed the global scheme under discussion would likely lack the stringency of the EU ETS. Read more ...
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Flight test by Boeing's ecoDemonstrator 787 marks first-ever use of green diesel as an aviation biofuel
Thu 4 Dec 2014 - Boeing yesterday conducted the first-ever flight using green diesel as a biofuel component. The blend of 15 per cent green diesel and 85 per cent conventional jet fuel was used in one engine of a 787 currently testing new technologies as part of Boeing's ecoDemonstrator programme. The green diesel was made from vegetable oils, waste cooking oil and waste animal fats, and was supplied by Finnish company Neste Oil before being blended in the United States by aviation fuel supplier EPIC Aviation. Neste claims sustainably produced green diesel can reduce carbon emissions by 50 to 90 per cent compared to fossil fuel. Green diesel is currently undergoing industry and regulatory scrutiny before it can be certified for commercial flight use. Boeing believes the product could rapidly supply as much as one per cent of global jet fuel demand, a critical level that could see aviation biofuels accelerate in take-up. Read more ...
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UK aviation industry group calls on government to share its vision for a sustainable fuels future
Wed 3 Dec 2014 - UK aviation and aerospace industry group Sustainable Aviation has unveiled a roadmap identifying a potential for between five and 12 plants in the UK producing up to 640,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuels by 2030 that could support the creation of 4,400 jobs and generate an economic value of around £265 million ($415m). The group estimates a modest take-up in UK volumes in the period to 2030 with a more rapid ramping up of production beyond, although it says this will depend on emerging technologies and early support from government. With the right policy and investment framework, UK aviation can reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 24 per cent by 2050 through the deployment of sustainable alternative fuels, claims the group. Read more ...
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India’s carbon emissions from airline operations show small increase in 2013 but fuel efficiency improves
Thu 27 Nov 2014 - Carbon emissions from Indian and foreign airlines rose 1.57 per cent in 2013 to 15.63 million tonnes, although down from 16.33 million tonnes in 2011 when India's civil aviation authority (DGCA) first started measuring the sector's carbon footprint. The total last year represents less than 1 per cent of the country's anthropogenic emissions, significantly lower than the corresponding global total of between 2 and 3 per cent. Despite the increase in emissions, the carbon efficiency of Indian scheduled passenger airlines improved from 0.99 kgs of CO2 per revenue tonne kilometre in 2012 to 0.96 in 2013, which compares to a global average for the sector of 0.95 last measured in 2011. The DGCA estimates emissions may nearly double to 28 million tons by 2020 in the absence of further efficiency improvements, given the fast growth of the Indian air transport market. Read more ...
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NATS new flight efficiency tool expected to identify operational improvements and help airlines save fuel and emissions
Tue 25 Nov 2014 - UK air navigation service provider (ANSP) NATS is to equip its controllers with a new tool that analyses the environmental efficiency of flights in near real-time. The Flight Optimisation System, called FLOSYS, takes real radar data that is updated every three minutes and combines it with NATS' 3Di airspace metric to produce a graphical representation of every flight in UK airspace. By having access to this level of detail for the first time, controllers and airspace managers will be able to better identify operational improvements to help airlines save fuel and cut carbon emissions. The FLOSYS project is part of a NATS' environmental programme that has an interim target of reducing air traffic-related CO2 by 4 per cent per flight by the end of this year, along the way to achieving a 10 per cent saving by 2020. Read more ...
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Boeing starts ecoDemonstrator 787 flight testing of new efficiency performance technologies
Mon 24 Nov 2014 – Boeing's latest ecoDemonstrator programme has begun flight testing more than 25 new technologies aimed at improving the environmental performance of aircraft through every phase of flight. The new round of testing is using a 787 Dreamliner to evaluate software and connectivity technologies related to operational efficiency, remote sensors to reduce wiring and weight, aerodynamic and flight control improvements for greater fuel efficiency, and icephobic wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation. In July, the ecoDemonstrator 787 completed flight tests of an acoustic ceramic matrix composite nozzle designed by Boeing to reduce weight and noise. Read more ...
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Eurocontrol and ACI Europe publish factsheet to help air transport adapt to a changing climate
Fri 21 Nov 2014 - Although the air transport sector is used to dealing with adverse weather events, these disruptions are likely to become more extreme and more frequent as we experience the growing impact of climate change, warns Europe's air traffic organisation Eurocontrol. Following a report it published last year detailing the potential impacts of temperature increase, sea-level rise and other changes in climate on the European air transport network, Eurocontrol has joined with airport trade body ACI Europe and other organisations to produce a collaborative factsheet, 'Adapting Aviation to a Changing Climate'. Unveiled at the recent ACI Airport Exchange event in Paris, the factsheet outlines the potential risks and also provides a checklist of questions and case studies to help the sector initiate their climate risk assessments. Read more ...
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Virgin Atlantic fleet renewal programme leads to a three per cent fall in carbon emissions during 2013
Thu 20 Nov 2014 - An ongoing $7 billion fleet renewal programme has resulted in a much improved fuel efficiency and carbon reduction picture for Virgin Atlantic in 2013. In 2007, the airline set a target of achieving a 30 per cent saving by 2020 in CO2 per revenue tonne kilometre (RTK), and halfway through the period it has so far achieved an 8 per cent reduction. However, last year alone Virgin managed a 4 per cent reduction and is confident of reaching its 2020 target as a result of fleet upgrade, operational fuel efficiency improvements and the use of sustainable fuels. The airline's new 2014 Change is in the Air Sustainability Report covers the first full year of operations of its 10 new twin-engine A330-300s, which have been found to be around 30 per cent more efficient than the four-engined A340-600s they replaced. Read more ...
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Unique partnership between airport, airlines and fuel suppliers sees Oslo become first hub for biofuel flights
Thu 20 Nov 2014 - Oslo is to become the first airport to supply regular commercial deliveries of blended sustainable aviation biofuel to airlines. From March 2015, the SkyNRG partnership with Statoil Aviation will provide 2.5 million litres of biofuel annually to the airport under a unique agreement with the airport's operator, Avinor. SAS, KLM and the Lufthansa Group of carriers serving Oslo are the first to participate in the initiative, which is open to all airlines. The amount of biofuel corresponds to using it in a 50 per cent blend with conventional fuel on around 3,000 flights between Oslo and Bergen, although Lufthansa and its subsidiary airlines plan to use their purchased allocation in a 5 per cent blend on over 5,000 flights from Oslo over the course of 12 months. In another industry first, the biofuel blend will be supplied directly to aircraft through the airport's fuel hydrant system. Read more ...
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Overall fuel efficiency of US airlines fails to improve on domestic routes during 2013, finds ICCT study
Wed 19 Nov 2014 - An annual performance study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows the fuel efficiency of United States carriers on domestic routes failed to improve in 2013 despite the high cost of aviation fuel and industry targets. In a league table of performance rankings, Alaska, Spirit and Frontier tied as the most fuel-efficient domestic carriers in 2013, whereas American Airlines, whose fuel efficiency fell by 1.5 per cent, burned an estimated 27 per cent more fuel than the three most efficient airlines to provide an equivalent level of transport service. As in its previous study, ICCT found little correlation between airline efficiency and profitability, and is concerned that as fuel prices steady or even fall there will even less incentive to make fuel efficiency gains. Read more ...
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Delaying a decision on a new London runway carries a high risk, Airports Commission chief warns politicians
Mon 17 Nov 2014 - Environmental factors will be a major part of the decision on if and where a new London runway is to be built, Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate told the annual gathering of the UK Airport Operators Association last week. A recent YouGov poll, sponsored by Gatwick, shows Londoners themselves consider environmental impacts as important as the economic benefits in the decision. Unsurprisingly, the respondents came down in favour of Gatwick as the choice for a new runway, whereas a geographically wider YouGov poll sponsored by Heathrow showed a preference for expansion at its airport. At the AOA conference, the UK's aviation minister and his opposition party shadow both praised the work of the Airports Commission tasked with making a recommendation and promised a swift decision but fell short of saying whether that would lead to runway expansion. British Airways boss Willie Walsh reiterated his view that a new runway at Heathrow was politically undeliverable because of the noise issue. Read more ...
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TaxiBot green taxiing vehicle receives European approval for Boeing 737 commercial operations
Wed 12 Nov 2014 - Taxibot, one of the green aircraft taxiing solutions currently in development, has become the first to receive official certification that will allow the semi-robotic vehicle to be used in taking commercial flights involving Boeing 737 airplanes between terminal gates and runways without using the aircraft's engines. The Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), where the system originates. In-service evaluation is expected to start next month with regular Lufthansa flights departing out of Frankfurt. The TaxiBot developers estimate a typical fuel consumption for a 17-minute taxi before take-off is around one ton (1,250 litres) of fuel, emitting nearly 3.2 tons of CO2, and claim their pilot-controlled vehicle can reduce this by 85 per cent. Read more ...
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SAS and Norwegian flights mark ambitious plans for ramping up biofuel production in Nordic countries
Wed 12 Nov 2014 - In a further move to establish a market in the Nordic region for sustainable aviation biofuels, airlines SAS and Norwegian yesterday operated commercial flights using biojet fuel supplied by the partnership formed between SkyNRG and aviation fuel supplier Statoil. The internal flights from Trondheim to Oslo by SAS and from Bergen to Oslo by Norwegian were conducted in cooperation with Norway's airport operator Avinor to coincide with the Zero Emission Conference in Oslo. The biojet fuel, forming 48 per cent of the blended jet fuel, was sourced from used cooking oil but the aim is to develop sustainable fuels from local forestry residues and wastes. The ambition of the SkyNRG Nordic partnership is to make the region the first in the world in which all flights are powered by a biofuel component. Read more ...
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Study finds a carbon gap of 220 million tonnes in 2023 will require offsetting by the airline industry
Fri 31 Oct 2014 - Even with improvements in aircraft technology, airline efficiencies and operational improvements, together with the introduction of biofuels, there will be a sizeable carbon gap between commercial aviation forecasts and industry targets by 2023, according to a study by consultancy ICF International. Without these improvements and biofuel take-up, ICF estimates commercial aviation will produce 53 per cent more carbon in 2023 than today, leading to a 33 per cent gap with the industry's goal of capping net emissions from 2020. The consultancy's own forecast is for global CO2 emissions from aviation to reach 942 million tonnes by 2020 and so form the baseline for the industry's carbon-neutral growth target. With efficiencies and biofuels, the annual carbon gap would be in the region of 220 million tonnes by 2023, which ICF says will have to be mitigated through carbon offsetting. Read more ...
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Gatwick and Heathrow battle it out over future compliance with UK and EU air quality targets
Fri 31 Oct 2014 - In the contest between London's two biggest airports as to which should be allowed to build a new runway, Gatwick is now taking the fight to Heathrow over the air quality records of the two airports. Gatwick claims that unlike its rival, it has never breached EU and UK annual air quality limits, and commits to maintaining this status if it succeeds with its extra runway. The airport says Heathrow could only meet air quality standards with a new runway if there was no more airport-related road traffic than there is today, which would require the introduction of a pollution-limiting congestion charge that could run as high as £40 ($64) per trip to the airport. Heathrow, on the other hand, says it has various strategies in place that will allow compliance with air quality limits in the event of a new third runway. Read more ...
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Five airports from Indonesia and Thailand newly accredited into industry carbon programme
Wed 29 Oct 2014 - Five airports from the Asia-Pacific region have been newly accredited under the airport industry's Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. Indonesia's Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International and four airports in Thailand - Chiang Mai, Don Mueang, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai - join 21 other airports that have been accredited so far in the region. The programme was first launched by ACI Europe in 2009 and extended to include ACI Asia-Pacific members in November 2011. The five new airports have been accredited at the first Mapping level, in which they are required to determine emissions within their operational boundary, calculate their annual carbon emissions, compile a carbon footprint report and have it independently verified. Last month, the programme received a further boost when it was extended to North America Read more ...
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FAA awards $10 million in VALE grants to six US airports to help reduce emissions and improve air quality
Wed 29 Oct 2014 - The FAA has awarded grants totalling $10.2 million to six airports across the United States to enable reductions in emissions and air quality improvements. The grants are made under the FAA's Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) programme that aims to reduce all sources of airport ground emissions in areas of marginal air quality. Since 2005, the FAA has funded 69 VALE projects at 38 airports, representing a total investment of $184 million that includes $38 million in local airport matching funds. The airports receiving the latest grants are Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle-Tacoma and Yeager. The FAA also announced recently that in efforts to remove harmful lead from general aviation fuel it had selected four unleaded fuels for the first phase of a test programme. Read more ...
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Air France launches one-year sustainable development showcase project involving weekly biofuel flight
Tue 28 Oct 2014 - Air France has launched a one-year programme, called 'Lab'line for the Future', to showcase various sustainable development projects the airline is undertaking. Starting last week, and running until September 2015, it will operate a series of weekly flights on the Toulouse to Paris-Orly route that will be powered by a 10/90 blended Amyris/Total biofuel. The farnesane biofuel was approved in June for commercial aviation use by certifying body ASTM International in blends up to 10 per cent. It is derived from a yeast fermentation process fed by sugarcane and was first used in a GOL flight between Orlando, Florida and Sao Paulo, Brazil the following month. Last month, Lufthansa became the first European airline to use the biofuel on a flight from Frankfurt to Berlin. Read more ...
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Finnair, TUI Travel and Munich Airport score highly in CDP international climate leadership index
Mon 27 Oct 2014 - Finnair, TUI Travel and Munich Airport are stand-out leaders in this year's Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) index of climate disclosure and performance by organisations around the world. CDP, an international NGO, provides a global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share environmental information with 767 institutional investors worldwide responsible for assets of $92 trillion. The aim is to motivate companies to disclose their impacts on the environment and natural resources, and take action to reduce them. Finnair and Munich Airport have been A-listed on the CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) 2014 for their actions to reduce carbon emissions and climate protection efforts. TUI Travel - which has six airlines - scored an A- on the CPLI and a 'perfect 100' on the Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). Read more ...
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HSBC provides funding for LanzaTech and Virgin venture to produce jet biofuel for flight demonstration
Fri 24 Oct 2014 - LanzaTech and Virgin Atlantic have secured funding support from HSBC, the UK's largest bank, that will allow sufficient production of LanzaTech's new low carbon jet fuel for flight proving purposes. The LanzaTech process captures and ferments waste gases from industrial steel production and the resulting ethanol is chemically converted into jet fuel. It is one of a number of technology pathways currently undergoing scrutiny by fuel and aerospace experts before achieving the necessary ASTM certification that will allow use of the fuel in commercial flights. The two partners, which have been working on the fuel's development for three years, said HSBC's support, along with Boeing and other technical partners, would see a proving flight taking place within the next year. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline to be awarded the Quiet Mark certification for its new fleet of Boeing 787-9s. Read more ...
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ENGAGE and AMBER air navigation projects to save fuel and reduce emissions reach successful conclusions
Thu 23 Oct 2014 - Canadian air navigation service provider (ANSP) NAV CANADA and its partners report they have successfully concluded the second phase of a fuel saving and emissions reduction project that trialled varying speed (Mach) and altitude flights transiting unsurveilled North Atlantic airspace. The ENGAGE II project was conducted in partnership with Air France and in conjunction with UK ANSP NATS, and four other airlines - KLM, British Airways, United and Delta - also took part in this phase. NAV CANADA estimates average fuel and emissions savings of between one and two per cent per flight, which translates to a reduction of 200-400 litres of fuel and 525-1,050 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions. The project was supported by the EU's SESAR Joint Undertaking (JU), which has been involved in a Latvian green flight project, AMBER, that has also just concluded. Read more ...
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Boeing and COMAC open new demo facility to produce sustainable jet fuel from Chinese used cooking oil
Thu 23 Oct 2014 - Two years after announcing their collaboration to investigate the potential of converting used cooking oil (UCO) into aviation biofuel, Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) have opened a demonstration facility in Hangzhou. The facility, which is being sponsored by the two aircraft manufacturers and known as the China-U.S. Aviation Biofuel Pilot Project, is expected to produce up to 170 gallons (650 litres) of sustainable jet fuel per day. A technology developed by Hangzhou Energy Engineering Technology will be used to clean contaminants from waste oils before conversion into jet fuel that the partners say will meet international specifications. Read more ...
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Air France to evaluate operational and environmental benefits of semi-robotic TaxiBot system at Paris CDG
Fri 10 Oct 2014 - The developers of the TaxiBot system that allows aircraft to taxi to and from runways without using their main engines have signed a MoU agreement with Air France to evaluate its use at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Israel Aerospace Industries and TLD Group have formed a joint task force with Air France to study TaxiBot's operational, economic and environmental benefits in tests on the airline's wide-body fleet. The study will look at the system's impact on taxiing flow at the airport and calculate reductions of CO2 and NOx emissions, as well as noise. The MoU may be extended to include further feasibility testing with Aeroports de Paris in the second quarter of 2015. Read more ...
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Large potential exists to reduce aviation's climate impact through minor changes in flight trajectories, finds study
Wed 8 Oct 2014 - With only small changes to flight routings and altitudes on North Atlantic air traffic, climate impact reductions of up to 25 per cent can be achieved by only a small increase - less than 0.5 per cent - in economic costs, finds a study conducted by participants in a major European research project. Scientists from environmental, meteorological and aerospace research institutions investigated transatlantic air traffic for one specific winter day and using powerful modelling tools analysed routing changes required to achieve reductions in CO2 emissions and non-CO2 climate impacts from air traffic. The study was conducted as part of the REACT4C EU-funded project that concluded in April. The project's leader, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), was recently presented with the Aviation Award for environmentally friendly air travel by Stuttgart Airport Company. Read more ...
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NATS looks for long-term solutions to deal with the problem of false radar returns from wind turbines
Mon 6 Oct 2014 - The growth of wind energy has provided a challenge for air traffic control in the en-route and airport environments as wind turbines can interfere with operations - predominantly around surveillance. By creating what is called 'clutter', the turbines present a risk of false radar returns that appear to look like aircraft. In the UK, the national air navigation service provider NATS tries to work with wind farm developers to find a form of mitigation, usually based around the idea of 'blanking' the affected area and then, if required, infilling the area with coverage from another radar. NATS has been collaborating with developers and radar manufacturers on a more sustainable and scalable technology based solution and is now looking to share the latest developments and best practice. Read more ...
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Hong Kong International's new runway plan gets green light from government's environmental advisors
Thu 2 Oct 2014 - The Hong Kong government's advisors on environmental protection and conservation issues, the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE), has endorsed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on expanding Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) into a three-runway system. The approval though comes with conditions and recommendations over concerns regarding marine and terrestrial ecology. According to the EIA, the existing two runways are forecast to reach capacity between 2019 and 2022, although IATA believes it may be much earlier, and adding a new runway would boost capacity by around 44 per cent by the time it is expected to be operational in 2023, if approved. However, WWF claims the proposal is biased towards the potential economic benefits, while the social and environmental impacts have been downplayed. Read more ...
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Southwest Airlines agrees to purchase three million gallons per year of renewable jet fuel sourced from forest residues
Tue 30 Sept 2014 - Southwest Airlines has entered into an agreement with Colorado-based Red Rock Biofuels (RRB) to purchase around three million gallons per year of renewable jet biofuel that will be blended and used at the low-cost carrier's San Francisco Bay Area operations. First deliveries are due to start in 2016 and RRB says it will be able to provide its product at cost parity with conventional jet fuel. RRB has just secured a $70 million federal grant to help fund the building of a $200 million refinery in Oregon that will produce jet fuel, diesel and naphtha from forestry residues sourced from timber operations. Around 140,000 dry tons of woody biomass feedstock will be converted into at least 12 million gallons annually of the three products. Another recipient of a $70 million federal grant is Fulcrum BioEnergy, which recently signed a biofuel agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways. Read more ...
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Air France-KLM again leads DJ Sustainability Index as LATAM becomes first airline group in the Americas to join
Mon 29 Sept 2014 - For the tenth consecutive year, Air France-KLM has been ranked a sector leader in the latest Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which analyses the economic, environmental and social performance of major companies worldwide. The airline group was listed as a leader in the Airlines category and was also industry group leader in the broader Transport category, which covers all modes of transportation. LATAM Airlines Group, which comprises LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines, becomes the first in the Airline category from the Americas to join the index. In the Aerospace and Defence sector, aircraft manufacturer Embraer has been listed for the fifth year in a row. Over 2,500 leading companies around the world are invited to join the index and this year 319 companies were selected. Read more ...
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Aviation sector taking action to improve fuel efficiency and stabilise carbon emissions, ICAO chief tells UN Climate Summit
Wed 24 Sept 2014 – As world leaders met in New York for the UN Climate Summit yesterday, Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Council President of ICAO, told the gathering the aviation sector was taking steps to continue improving air transport fuel efficiency and stabilise net CO2 emissions from 2020. He announced a commitment on climate action between ICAO and the aviation industry to expand on work already being undertaken to reduce emissions across the sector. A joint Action Statement and Action Plan were unveiled at the event by ICAO and the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Meanwhile, to mark the Summit, Finnair operated an Airbus A330 on a commercial flight from Helsinki to New York using sustainable biofuel made from recycled cooking oil supplied by SkyNRG Nordic. Read more ...
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Government must restrict the building of new homes within airport noise contours, say UK airport operators
Wed 24 Sept 2014 - A lack of consistency between national aviation policy and planning policy has led to 5,700 new homes being built or given planning permission within the noise contours of the UK's 18 biggest airports during the past three years, finds a new report from the UK Airport Operators Association (AOA). A well-intentioned policy to streamline the planning process on building much-needed new homes has allowed property developers to encroach into areas where aircraft noise can be of annoyance to residents, says the AOA. It calls on government to reintroduce national planning guidance about how local authorities should interpret noise contours and align airports with local development needs. The AOA report, 'Sustainable Airports', demonstrates how UK airports are reducing their carbon emissions and managing noise, and the trade body urges the government to provide more support in both areas. Read more ...
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Rarotonga Airport's solar farm nears completion as island nation balances tourism and climate change challenges
Wed 24 Sept 2014 - Construction of a large solar energy system at Rarotonga International Airport in the Cook Islands is due to be completed next month. The 'Te Mana O Te Ra' - meaning the power of the sun - solar project involves the installation of 3,051 photovoltaic panels capable of producing up to 960 kilowatts, or about five per cent of Rarotonga's energy needs. Costing in the region of NZ$3.3 million (US$2.7m) and supported with funding from the New Zealand government, the project's main contractor is Auckland-based Infratec Renewables. The modules have been supplied by Chinese solar power manufacturer JA Solar. The solar farm will be connected to the local electricity grid and the Cook Islands government estimates this will lead to a reduction of around 400,000 litres of diesel fuel imports per year. Read more ...
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Lufthansa operates commercial flight using new sugar-based biofuel and signs jatropha agreement
Fri 19 Sept 2014 - Following its recent approval by international fuel standards body ASTM, the sugar-based biofuel developed by the Total oil group and US-based biotech company Amyris was used by Lufthansa on a commercial flight from Frankfurt to Berlin on Monday (Sept 15). The synthetic biology fuel, called farnesane, was blended to its maximum permitted 10 per cent with conventional jet kerosene and marks the first commercial use of the product in Europe. The biofuel, produced from Brazilian sugarcane, was first used on a GOL commercial flight between Orlando, Florida, and Sao Paulo in late July. The producers claim an up to 80 per cent reduction in GHG emissions compared to petroleum products as well reduced emissions of particulate matter. Lufthansa has also signed an MoU agreement with German company JatroSolutions to help make jet biofuel derived from the jatropha plant commercially viable. Read more ...
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European travellers and 'experience seekers' more likely to offset their carbon emissions, finds Australian study
Wed 17 Sept 2014 - Travellers from the UK and Europe are far more likely to support voluntary carbon offsetting measures than their Asian counterparts, reveals an extensive study of international visitors to Australia. Using data from the government's Tourism Research Australia, researchers from the Griffith Institute for Tourism in Queensland analysed uptake over a three-year period and found younger travellers were more likely to offset their emissions than older visitors. 'Experience seekers' - those international travellers who value authenticity, adventure, learning and immersion in the local culture and who form an 'ideal' visitor segment for the Australian tourism authorities - and nature-based visitors were found to be significantly more likely to offset. The research confirms other studies that have shown a low but steady take-up of carbon offsetting schemes. Read more ...
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ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation gets major boost as North American region joins the carbon programme
Tue 16 Sept 2014 - The Airport Carbon Accreditation programme launched by European airport representative body ACI Europe five years ago has received a major boost following its adoption by ACI counterparts in North America. With ACI's Asia-Pacific and Africa regions already participating and its Latin America and Caribbean region expected to join in the near future, the carbon management standard for airports has achieved a near global coverage. During the recent ACI-North America (ACI-NA) annual conference, Seattle-Tacoma was announced the first airport in the region to achieve certification within the programme. Montreal, Denver, San Francisco and Portland have also committed to joining by early next year. With the addition of Sea-Tac, 108 airports worldwide, which between them handle nearly a quarter of global passenger traffic, have been accredited at one of the four levels of the programme. Read more ...
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Faced with legal and NGO pressure, US EPA starts domestic regulatory process to address aircraft emissions
Mon 15 Sept 2014 - After years of pressure from environmental organisations, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a domestic regulatory process to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from aircraft. Under the process, the agency will determine whether aircraft GHGs cause or contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare and intends to release its findings by late April 2015. In a paper to ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), the EPA says under its current schedule it will issue a final determination in spring 2016. The EPA and FAA are currently working within CAEP to establish an international CO2 emissions standard for aircraft that they expect to be agreed in February 2016. The EPA move was welcomed by US NGOs, which had threatened to sue the agency over a perceived failure to act on tackling GHG emissions. Read more ...
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Airbus joins South African project to research the potential for replacing APUs with fuel cell technology
Wed 3 Sept 2014 - A three-year South African project is underway to research the use of fuel cell technology in commercial airliners in the search for alternative solutions to fossil fuel based propulsion and energy sources. Jointly funded by Airbus and South Africa's National Aerospace Centre, the project will be undertaken by the Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Systems Competence Centre at its University of the Western Cape research facility. Airbus says it has identified hydrogen fuel cells as a future, emissions-free substitute for an aircraft's Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), a small gas turbine engine that generates on-board electrical power and heat while the aircraft is on the ground. The aircraft manufacturer has already performed test flights involving fuel cells to power individual emergency power systems and is working on the technology that could permit the complete replacement of the electrical power systems with a multi-functional fuel cell. Read more ...
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US Farm to Fly initiative to develop national aviation biofuel industry receives boost from Energy Department
Tue 2 Sept 2014 - Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson has announced the US Department of Energy is joining the Farm to Fly 2.0 initiative to support the development of a commercially viable aviation biofuel industry in the United States. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Boeing and airline trade body Airlines for America launched Farm to Fly in 2010 and the programme was extended for a further five years in April 2013 with additional partners including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and other aviation industry representative groups. The aim of Farm to Fly 2.0 is to set up supply chains in the US that are able to support a goal of producing one billion gallons of sustainable jet biofuel for use by airlines by 2018. Read more ...
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Garuda Indonesia plans to start using locally-sourced aviation biofuel from 2016 as part of government target
Mon 1 Sept 2014 - As part of a national plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from air transport, state-owned airline Garuda Indonesia has confirmed it is targeting a two per cent use of biofuels in its jet fuel consumption from 2016 and three per cent from 2020. The airline burns around 1.8 billion litres of jet fuel annually, which is expected to rise to 2 billion in 2016 as a result of an increase in passenger traffic and additions to its aircraft fleet. However, Garuda's Director of Operations Capt Novianto Herupratomo said last week the commitment was heavily dependent on the availability of locally-sourced palm oil that is currently being laboratory tested. The Indonesian government unveiled its Green Aviation Initiatives for Sustainable Development last year, which includes targets for reducing emissions through a combination of fleet renewal, airport initiatives, air navigation improvements and the use of alternative fuels. Read more ...
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Auckland Airport partners with tenants to launch ambitious three-year, $2.5m energy savings programme
Thu 28 Aug 2014 - Auckland Airport is to invest more than NZ$3 million (US$2.5m) over three year in projects to measure and manage energy in partnership with its tenants, which number more than 100 throughout its terminals and wider business district. The programme will aim to save six gigawatt hours of energy - enough to power 750 homes each year and worth over NZ$2 million - and reduce carbon emissions by around 1,000 tonnes per year. The first stage will see the installation of an energy monitoring system to help identify energy use and potential savings across the business district. The programme is the first collaboration of its type in the country between a large-scale commercial landlord and its tenants, and is supported by New Zealand's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Read more ...
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San Diego wins ACI North America's environmental management award for its Green Build expansion project
Wed 27 Aug 2014 - San Diego International Airport has won this year's major Environmental Achievement Award from Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the trade association for commercial airports in the United States and Canada. The Environmental Management award recognises the airport's 'The Green Build' project, a 460,000 square-foot expansion that recently became the world's first commercial airport terminal to achieve the coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. Other awards have been won by Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Port Columbus International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. The awards will be presented at ACI-NA’s annual conference in Atlanta on September 10. Read more ...
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As air traffic growth outpaces carbon reduction efforts, a global regulator with teeth is required, says new study
Tue 26 Aug 2014 - Even if proposed mitigation measures are agreed upon and put in place, the growth in air traffic is likely to outpace emission reductions unless demand is substantially reduced, finds new research by the UK's University of Southampton. Implementation of market-based measures and a global CO2 standard for aircraft will provide additional incentives for greater reduction rates in the future in combination with progress in aircraft technology, efficient operational procedures and alternative fuels, say the researchers, but are unlikely to be sufficient to close the emissions gap. In which case, behaviour change to reduce air travel demand will become necessary through higher ticket prices, they propose, and call for the setting up of a global regulator "with teeth" to enforce CO2 emission reduction measures. Read more ...
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Europe Airpost signs with fuel efficiency software specialist Aviaso as French aerospace giant Safran enters market
Tue 26 Aug 2014 - French aerospace company Sagem has launched a new service, SFCO2, to help airlines reduce their fuel consumption and costs as well as carbon emissions. Following a three-fold increase in the price of jet fuel over the past 10 years, Sagem says fuel is now the largest expenditure for airlines, accounting for 30 to 40 per cent of operating costs. Part of the giant Safran group, Sagem has developed SFCO2 jointly with sister aircraft engine company Snecma and will be provided by its services subsidiary Cassiopée. Meanwhile, Swiss-based Aviaso has won a tender from Europe Airpost to provide the French airline with its fuel conservation and efficiency software. The airline is currently implementing a sustainable development strategy that includes fleet modernisation, optimisation of take-off and landing performance and the introduction of non-polluting electrical ground power units. Read more ...
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US conservation groups to sue EPA over delays in finding aviation emissions an endangerment to health
Thu 21 Aug 2014 - Conservation groups have filed a notice of intent to sue the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a perceived failure and unreasonable delay by the government agency in addressing aviation's growing aviation emissions. The dispute goes back over six years to when the groups first petitioned EPA to carry out a mandatory duty under the Clean Air Act to determine whether greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from aircraft engines cause or contribute to air pollution "that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare". The mandate was upheld in a court ruling in July 2011, and in 2012 EPA acknowledged its obligation to conduct an endangerment finding and indicated it would begin work, but has yet to take any steps in the rulemaking process. EPA said it would "review and respond accordingly" to the notice but that it was currently working through ICAO on an international CO2 efficiency standard for new type aircraft. Read more ...
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EU-funded software project looks to reduce HVAC energy consumption at airports by up to 20 per cent
Mon 18 Aug 2014 - An EU-funded project is underway to help cut carbon emissions caused by faulty high-consuming heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) plants at European airports. The daily electricity and thermal energy used by a large airport compares to that of a city of 100,000 people. The three-year 'CASCADE - ICT for Energy Efficient Airports' project, with a contribution of EUR 2.6 million from the 7th Framework Programme, is looking to reduce energy use and emissions by up to 20 per cent. Nine CASCADE partners from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Serbia have developed new software and an energy action plan based on the ISO 50001 international management standard and algorithms for fault detection and diagnostics. Italy's two largest airports, Rome's Fiumicino and Milan's Malpensa, are piloting the project. Read more ...
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UK airspace environmental and operational efficiency continues to improve but NATS faces challenge
Fri 15 Aug 2014 - According to UK air traffic services provider NATS, the environmental and operational efficiency of UK airspace improved during the first half of this year. However, it faces a challenge to meet a new tighter year-end target set by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In 2012, NATS became the first ANSP to be set an incentivised efficiency performance target by its regulatory authority. NATS measures the route and trajectory of every aircraft flight within UK airspace using its three-dimensional inefficiency (3Di) metric, with each flight compared to a scale where zero represents total environmental efficiency. Most flights typically score between 15 and 35. During the January to June 2014 period, NATS achieved a rolling average score of 23.3, lower than the score of 23.7 for 2013 but higher than the 2014 target of 23 set by the CAA. Read more ...
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Cathay Pacific enters equity deal and 10-year offtake agreement with MSW-to-biojet developer Fulcrum
Tue 12 Aug 2014 - Cathay Pacific Airways has made a strategic equity investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy, a California-based developer of a municipal solid waste (MSW) to sustainable jet fuel process. The Hong Kong airline has also negotiated a long-term supply agreement with Fulcrum for an initial 375 million US gallons of biojet fuel over 10 years, representing around 2 per cent of the airline's current annual fuel consumption. Fulcrum says it plans to commence construction of its first commercial plant later this year and to build large-scale jet fuel plants at multiple locations, including sites strategic to the Cathay Pacific network, primarily in North America. British Airways has already entered the MSW-to-biojet market in a similar partnership with Fulcrum rival Solena that aims to produce sustainable jet fuel from 2017 at a new plant east of London. Read more ...
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Portland International receives FAA VALE environmental grant towards purchase of clean technology buses
Mon 11 Aug 2014 - Portland International Airport has received a $331,653 environmental grant from the FAA towards the purchase of six compressed natural gas buses that transport airport passengers and employees from the terminal to parking and car rental facilities. The award comes through the FAA's Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) programme, which is designed to reduce sources of airport ground emissions in areas of marginal air quality. The programme was implemented in 2005 to help airports meet their air quality responsibilities under the US Clean Air Act and the FAA has so far funded 67 VALE clean technology projects at 34 airports, with a total investment of $167 million made up of $133 million in federal grants and $34 million in local matching funds. Read more ...
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Boeing, SAA and SkyNRG to collaborate on project to convert new tobacco hybrid crop to sustainable jet fuel
Fri 8 Aug 2014 - An initiative by Boeing and South African Airways (SAA) to develop a renewable jet fuel sector in South Africa has announced it is to collaborate with SkyNRG on a project to produce jet biofuel from a new hybrid type of energy-rich, nicotine-free tobacco crop. The crop, known as Solaris, has been developed by Italian company Sunchem and test farming is already underway. SkyNRG has teamed with Sunchem to scale up production and both Boeing and SAA will provide active support in securing further project financing and offtake agreements. The partners believe biofuel production from large and small farms can be expected within the next few years, with oil from the plant's seeds being converted initially into jet fuel and then emerging technologies enabling future production from the rest of the plant. Boeing and SAA are working with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) to help farmers with small plots of land to grow biofuel feedstocks that provide socio-economic value without harming food supplies, fresh water or land use. Read more ...
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Work on an ICAO global market-based measure begins to narrow down finer details of the Strawman
Tue 22 July 2014 - The design elements of a global market-based measure (GMBM) scheme to limit the growth of international emissions are slowly being pulled together by ICAO's Environmental Advisory Group (EAG). Set up in March, the EAG comprises 17 representatives from the governing ICAO Council, with participation from an industry representative, and works in parallel with a Global MBM Technical Task Force (GMTF), an ICAO CAEP sub-group. The EAG is now developing the principles and details of a carbon offset global scheme based on a Strawman approach drawn up by the ICAO Secretariat. Strawman Version 1.0 was presented to the EAG in March and after five meetings it has now progressed to Version 1.1. Its contents up till now have been restricted to EAG members, although a recent Council meeting has agreed to enhance the transparency of EAG activities and the Strawman to CAEP members, observers and experts. Read more ...
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Honeywell UOP renewable jet fuel technology selected by Petrixo for large new Gulf biorefinery
Tue 22 July 2014 - Dubai-based Petrixo Oil & Gas has selected Honeywell UOP's renewable jet fuel process technology to produce renewable jet fuel and renewable diesel at a new refinery to be built in the nearby UAE emirate of Fujairah. The technology is expected to be capable of processing around 500,000 tonnes of renewable feedstocks, although the source or type of feedstock to be used has not been revealed. Petrixo announced earlier this year that it will invest $800 million to build the new refinery, which will have a design capacity of one million tonnes, and claims it will be the first commercial-scale renewable jet production facility outside of North America. The biorefinery is to be built on a 460,000 square metre area of land within the Fujairah Free Zone and the Port of Fujairah and is expected to produce a variety of biofuel products for the Gulf and international markets. Read more ...
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British Airways A380 to feature in cross-industry initiative to study noise reduction procedures at Heathrow
Mon 21 July 2014 - Airbus, British Airways, Heathrow Airport and UK air navigation service provider NATS are to collaborate on an initiative to study and develop new operational procedures to reduce the number of people affected by aircraft noise around Heathrow. Using a British Airways Airbus A380, Airbus ProSky - the air traffic management subsidiary of Airbus - will design departure and arrival procedures based on recommendations from BA, NATS and the airport. Airbus EVP Customer Affairs Christopher Buckley said the A380 was the ideal aircraft to conduct the 'Quieter Flights' study as it had the latest state-of-the-art technologies that allowed optimised paths to be flown very precisely. Results of the project will be shared with the rest of the industry, including other airlines and airports, and Airbus engineers will later work on adapting the same changes to the rest of the Airbus fleet. Read more ...
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Industry and green groups clash on the economic and climate impacts of UK runway expansion
Mon 21 July 2014 - A new report from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says action is needed to boost the UK's air links with emerging markets but this need not have to come at the expense of environmental commitments. It warns that without urgent and decisive action from politicians on the future of the UK’s airport infrastructure, businesses would miss out on the new connections they need, hampering efforts on trade and investment. However, another report from three UK green groups - RSPB, WWF and Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) - concludes plans to expand airport capacity are based on a "wing and a prayer" and the UK's climate targets cannot be met unless industry as a whole takes on the added costs that would result from having to make additional carbon savings if aviation emissions were allowed to soar. A further report on the UK's first four-year carbon budget period shows aviation emissions fell between 2008 and 2012. Read more ...
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UK aviation group calls for government backing to kick-start production of sustainable aviation fuels
Fri 18 July 2014 - The potential to reduce UK aviation's annual carbon emissions by up to 1.7 million tonnes by 2030 through the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels can only be realised with government support, says UK industry environmental strategy group Sustainable Aviation (SA). It calls for a clear policy framework to stimulate investment and production of new generation alternative aviation fuels, which could provide up to £480 million ($820m) per year to the UK economy by 2030 and create 4,400 jobs if 12 new plants were to be built. Backed up by a parallel report from sustainable energy consultancy E4tech, SA has published a discussion paper, Fuelling the Future, outlining the potential market penetration both in the UK and globally for sustainable alternative fuels up to 2050. It is seeking views from policymakers and stakeholders ahead of a roadmap it intends publishing later in the year. Read more ...
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Japanese initiative launched to develop next-generation sustainable aviation biofuel sector by 2020
Tue 15 July 2014 - Japan has become the latest country to launch a government-backed initiative to investigate the potential of developing a domestic sustainable aviation biofuel industry. Over 30 companies and organisations from the aerospace, fuel, engineering, finance and research sectors have formed a group called Initiatives for Next Generation Aviation Fuels (INAF) to plan a roadmap towards using nationally sourced aviation biofuels by 2020, when the Olympic and Paralympic Games are to be held in Tokyo. Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Nippon Cargo Airlines and Boeing are among the INAF members. Japan Airlines and Boeing partnered in one of the first demonstration biofuel flights back in January 2009, which was made up of camelina, jatropha and algae blended by Honeywell UOP and supplied by Nikki-Universal, a Japanese joint venture of UOP and JGC Corporation, both members of INAF. Read more ...
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As Australia repeals carbon tax, Qantas removes its domestic flight surcharge but says fares won't drop
Mon 14 July 2014 - Ahead of a move that would make Australia the first country in the world to remove a legislated price on carbon, Qantas said it has officially dropped the carbon surcharge it introduced on domestic fares in 2012. The repeal of the carbon tax by the incoming Australian coalition government was expected to have been voted through by now but ran into problems when one minority party removed its support, insisting that industries paying the tax had to pass on the saving to consumers, a stipulation that now appears to have been accepted and the legislation is expected to be approved within days. However, the airline, which had a carbon liability in its 2012-13 financial year of A$106 million ($100m), says its attempts to pass on the tax to customers failed due to strong competition in the domestic market and so fares will not be reduced. Rival Virgin Australia says it too had been unable to recover the costs of the carbon tax for similar reasons and would also not be lowering fares as a result. Read more ...
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Brazil's GOL to start international flights using newly-certified Amyris/Total renewable jet fuel
Fri 11 July 2014 - Less than a month after approval for commercial use by fuel certification body ASTM International, Brazilian carrier GOL has announced it is to begin flying with blended farnesane renewable jet fuel developed by the Amyris/Total partnership. The sugarcane-derived Synthetic Iso-Paraffin (SIP) fuel will be produced in Brazil and used in blends of up to 10 per cent on flights between Florida and Sao Paulo starting later this month. As the Brazilian fuel regulator has yet to transcribe the revised ASTM standard on SIP fuels, which may take a further three months, the Amyris/Total fuel blend can only be used on inbound GOL flights until passed. When produced on a fully sustainable basis, the two companies claim farnesane can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent on a lifecycle basis compared to traditional petroleum fuels. Read more ...
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Cambridge reports highlight the dangers to tourism and air transport sectors through climate change impacts
Fri 11 July 2014 - The tourism industry is likely to be severely impacted by climate change, which will also have important consequences for the air transport sector, and both will come under growing pressure to reduce their significant carbon footprint. The warning is highlighted in a new report from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), which summarises the latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The tourism industry accounts for between 3.9 and 6 per cent of human contributions to GHG emissions but on current trends this will rise to 10 per cent by 2025. Air transport accounted for 43 per cent of the total emissions from tourism in 2005 but just 17 per cent of number of trips taken. Another recent Cambridge study found global aviation emissions could be cut by a third by 2050 through using a carbon tax to replace older aircraft with new models. Read more ...
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Virgin Australia extends its passenger carbon offset scheme to include Tasmanian nature conservation project
Fri 4 July 2014 - Virgin Australia has extended its 'Fly Carbon Neutral' voluntary carbon offset programme through a new partnership with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC). Passengers can now choose to neutralise the emissions on their domestic and international flights through a nature conservation reserve in Tasmania or existing renewable energy projects in Thailand and Cambodia. TLC is a science-based environmental NGO that actively manages over 30,000 hectares of land for nature conservation, providing a safe haven for rare and threatened species of Tasmania's unique plants and animals. The credits purchased from TLC are Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) produced and verified through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). The VCUs are generated from 12,000 hectares of native Tasmanian forest that was previously logged by a timber company. Read more ...
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SkyWall concept wins competition to find a solution to reducing ground noise impacts at Bromma Stockholm
Fri 4 July 2014 - A competition to find a solution to reduce the impact of ground noise on residents close to Sweden's Bromma Stockholm Airport has been won by Paris-based Red-architectes. The SkyWall concept was chosen by a jury made up of representatives from the airport's owner and operator Swedavia and local residents, together with experts in the fields of acoustics, architecture and construction. The International Swedavia Airport Innovation Challenge 2014, with a prize of 100,000 Swedish krona ($14,500), attracted nearly 1,000 participants from 87 different countries and almost 100 original solutions were submitted. Swedavia says SkyWall is based on a proven noise screening and refraction technique and believes the claimed reduction levels are realistic. It adds the transparent material of the wall will integrate easily into the landscape and still allow residents a view of the airport's activities. Read more ...
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UK industry group Sustainable Aviation and NATS launch initiative to improve continuous descent performance
Thu 3 July 2014 - Industry group Sustainable Aviation (SA) has launched a campaign to increase the number of Continuous Descent Operations (CDOs) at airports across the United Kingdom. The UK's air navigation services provider NATS is leading the project that aims to increase CDOs by an overall 5 per cent at the 15 airports under its control. The additional 30,000 flights implementing the procedure could save an estimated annual 10,000 tonnes of CO2 and around £2 million ($3.4m) in fuel costs, as well as result in quieter aircraft arrivals. Up until recently much of the focus has been on implementing Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) once aircraft descend below 6,000 feet and the emphasis is on achieving quieter arrivals, whereas CDOs typically commence from the top of an aircraft's descent, at around 20,000 feet, and can lead to significant fuel and emissions savings. Read more ...
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Boeing's new five-year environmental targets include zero growth in greenhouse gas emissions from facilities
Mon 30 Jun 2014 - After achieving its absolute reduction targets in the previous 2007-2012 period, Boeing's latest annual environmental report details how the manufacturer is working towards zero growth from the end of 2012 in greenhouse gas emissions, water use and solid waste to landfill from its factories and facilities for the five-year period to 2017. Additionally, the company has committed to limiting hazardous waste generation to no more than the rate at which its business is growing, termed 'zero revenue-adjusted growth'. Energy use has not been included in the new five-year targets but Boeing says it is looking for new opportunities to incorporate energy conservation technologies and sustainable materials into new building designs of its facilities. Boeing is also working on collaborative municipal solar power and hydrokinetic projects in California and Quebec. Read more ...
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First commercial Swedish biofuel flights as SkyNRG and Statoil announce Karlstad Airport as the country's first BioPort
Thu 26 Jun 2014 - Dutch sustainable jet fuel provider SkyNRG and aviation fuel supplier Statoil Aviation have announced Karlstad Airport as the location for their first BioPort in Sweden. The BioPort is expected to supply sustainable jet fuel to commercial flights departing from the airport in 2015 and is intended as a first step in developing a sustainable jet fuel platform in the region since the two fuel suppliers announced the formation of SkyNRG Nordic in March. To mark the installation at the airport of a fixed storage tank facility for sustainable aviation biofuel, the first regular commercial flights in Sweden to be made using aviation biofuel took place today. One flight was operated by bmi regional between Karlstad and Frankfurt, the other by Nextjet between Karlstad and Stockholm. Read more ...
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With 102 airports on four continents, airport carbon programme looks to expand geographical reach
Wed 25 Jun 2014 - Five years after its launch by European airports trade body ACI Europe, over 100 airports across four continents have now been certified under the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme. Endorsed by UN agencies ICAO and UNEP, along with the European Commission and Eurocontrol, the programme independently assesses and recognises airports' efforts to manage and reduce their CO2 emissions. It certifies airports at four different levels of accreditation, with 16 European airports now achieving the highest carbon neutrality level. ACI Europe says all the airports now certified collectively handle 23.6 per cent of global air passenger traffic, with the 85 European airports certified handling 62.8 per cent of the continent's passenger traffic. Read more ...
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Amyris/Total renewable jet fuel gets ASTM green light as SIP fuels are approved for commercial aviation use
Fri 20 Jun 2014 - A committee of fuel technical standards body ASTM International has approved for commercial aviation use a renewable jet fuel developed by French oil and energy giant Total and California-based industrial bioscience company Amyris. The drop-in fuel is derived from the conversion of plant sugars into a hydrocarbon molecule called farnesene, which is then hydrogenated into a farnesane product, and will be permitted in blends of up to 10 per cent with conventional jet kerosene. The two partners announced they will now market the fuel, which will initially be produced in Brazil, to airlines, with Brazilian carrier GOL likely as an early customer. The fuel is the first new technology pathway to be approved by ASTM since renewable jet fuels derived from plant oils and animal fats, known as HEFA fuels, were certified in blends of up to 50 per cent in June 2011. Read more ...
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Aigle Azur and Enter Air sign with French software company OpenAirlines for fuel efficiency solution
Fri 20 Jun 2014 - France's second biggest airline Aigle Azur and Polish charter carrier Enter Air have signed contracts with aviation software provider OpenAirlines for the Toulouse-based company's SkyBreathe Fuel Efficiency package. Based on five years of research and development, including involvement with an EU Clean Sky project called CARING (Contribution of Airlines for the Reduction of Industry Nuisances and Gases), SkyBreathe relies on innovative algorithms to quickly analyse the date from flight data recorders to propose targeted recommendations on fuel efficiency. The software continuously monitors fuel consumption and identifies the most relevant opportunities for fuel saving. A service called SkyBreathe EU ETS helps airlines prepare and pre-verify their EU ETS reports. Read more ...
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Heathrow's latest noise performance league table shows steady progress by airlines but with room for improvement
Wed 18 Jun 2014 - The third quarterly Fly Quiet league table of the top 50 airlines serving London's Heathrow Airport shows a steady overall improvement in noise improvement, although more could be done to increase the number of Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) operations by arriving aircraft, says the airport. The top three airlines - British Airways' short-haul operations, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic's Little Red - have remained the same in all three tables published so far but the airport commends Virgin Atlantic's long-haul operations and Cathay Pacific for their improvements. It says the proportion of aircraft operating to the most stringent ICAO Chapter 4 noise standard increased from 97.6 per cent in 2012 to 98.1 per cent in 2013. Heathrow has also published its latest annual sustainability report that measures performance on noise, local air quality and carbon emissions. Read more ...
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Virgin Atlantic gets its sustainability message across to passengers with onboard animation video
Fri 13 Jun 2014 - Virgin Atlantic customers can now enjoy a whistle-stop tour of the airline's 'Change is in the Air' sustainability programme in a light-hearted animation video narrated by Sir Richard Branson. Now available to watch on board, the animation uses thirsty microbes, dancing horses, baby orang-utans and pilots dressed in plastic bottles to demonstrate how the airline is reducing its environmental impact and supporting communities in need. The video also encourages passengers to do their bit by, for example, packing lighter, offsetting the emissions from their flight and putting loose change in the on-board 'Change for Children' envelopes. Read more ...
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UK's aviation regulator says airlines and airports must do more to tackle noise impacts before capacity can grow
Wed 11 Jun 2014 - With the government-appointed Airports Commission currently considering proposals for increasing the UK's aviation capacity, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it is clear the industry will not be able to grow unless if first tackles its noise and environmental impacts more effectively. Although it supports the controversial building of a new runway in the south-east of England, the CAA says any proposal must show that it is sustainable, abides by the government's aim of limiting and where possible reducing aircraft noise over time, and must ensure the impact on noise-affected communities is minimised, mitigated and compensated appropriately. To help drive improvements in noise performance and mitigation, the CAA has published a series of recommendations for the aviation industry in managing the issue. Read more ...
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Air Transat becomes first North American airline to complete Stage 1 of IATA's environmental programme
Tue 10 Jun 2014 - Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has become the first airline in North America to complete the first stage of IATA's Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Program. The voluntary programme is based on the core principles of compliance with environmental obligations and a commitment to continual environmental management improvement. Adopting the standard IEnvA procedures and recommended practices, says IATA, allows an airline to focus resources on improving its environmental performance rather than developing an Environmental Management System (EMS) from scratch. Air Transat joins Finnair, South African Airways, LAN, LAN Cargo, Malaysia Airlines and Kenya Airways as the only airlines so far to have achieved Stage 1 certification. Read more ...
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Airline emissions expected to increase by 3.2 per cent in 2014 but fuel efficiency improvement ahead of target
Mon 9 Jun 2014 - Airlines will burn over 270 billion litres of fuel in 2014 and in the process emit around 722 million tonnes of CO2, predicts IATA. This is a 3.2 per cent increase over the previous year but, points out the global airline association, compares to a 5.2 per cent increase in overall operations as a result of increased consumer demand. With a goal of a 1.5 per cent annual gain in fuel efficiency to 2020, the industry is expecting to improve on this in 2014 to 1.7 per cent per available tonne-kilometre (ATK) and to 1.9 per cent when measured on a revenue tonne-kilometre (RTK) basis. Speaking at IATA's AGM in Doha last week, Director General Tony Tyler said the aviation sector was united on a strategy towards its approach to sustainable development but in order to meet its carbon neutral growth commitment from 2020 it was essential governments delivered a global market-based measure. Read more ...
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Aviation leaders call for more support from government and major oil companies for alternative aviation fuels
Fri 30 May 2014 - Support and cooperation from governments and the major oil companies is required to kick-start large-scale production of sustainable alternative aviation fuels, industry leaders told a Berlin conference last week. Such fuels are needed to reach industry emissions reduction targets and the European Flightpath 2050 goals, said Dr Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer for Airbus. Dr Matthew Ganz, President of Boeing Germany and Northern Europe, said his company's goal of 1 per cent of total fuel consumption being made up from bio-derived sources by the end of 2015 was achievable but serious challenges remained at producing them at an affordable cost and ensuring the whole fuel cycle was sustainable. Botti and Lufthansa Executive Board Member Harry Hohmeister criticised the major oil companies for not doing more to engage and invest in alternative aviation fuels. Botti revealed Airbus was working on a long-term project to develop a hybrid electric regional passenger aircraft that could be in service by 2050. Read more ...
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Bruel & Kjaer signs Australian and Dutch contracts to enhance community engagement on aircraft noise
Wed 28 May 2014 - Danish airport noise management company Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) has signed a five-year, A$25 million ($23m) contract with Airservices Australia, the country's government-owned air traffic management authority, which has responsibility for environmental issues at major airports. The contract includes short and long term noise and flight monitoring, as well as the web-based noise information tool, WebTrak MyNeighbourhood, which allows residents around airports to see detailed data on take-offs and landings. The deployment of B&K's aircraft noise information tools at Eindhoven Airport follows an agreement with a government, aviation sector and residents forum, 'Alderstafel', to enhance communications with the local community about airport operations, complaint handling and noise measurements. Read more ...
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Boeing acquires fuel efficiency and carbon reporting software and consultancy company ETS Aviation
Tue 27 May 2014 - Fuel efficiency and carbon reporting management and analytics software company ETS Aviation is to be acquired by Boeing. Based in Bristol, UK, the company's employees will join Boeing's Jeppesen UK subsidiary and its fuel efficiency tools will become part of the integrated suite of aviation services marketed as the Boeing Edge. Founded in 2009, ETS Aviation's fuel efficiency solutions support more than 600 commercial aircraft across nearly 900,000 flights annually. As well as its Aviation FuelSaver software and consultancy programme, the company offers Aviation Footprinter for managing EU ETS requirements. Terms of the agreement with Boeing have not been disclosed but the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June. Read more ...
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Climate research project to collect atmospheric data notches up 20 years and 41,000 Airbus flights
Tue 27 May 2014 - The MOZAIC/IAGOS collaboration project between the aviation industry and climate scientists to collect atmospheric data from instruments carried by Airbus aircraft on commercial flights has reached its 20th anniversary. Seven Airbus aircraft - six A340-300s and an A330 - belonging to the project's associated airlines Lufthansa, China Airlines, Air France, Iberia, Cathay Pacific and Air Namibia have now been equipped with measurement devices. Since the first Airbus A340 journey from Caracas to Bogota in 1994, over 41,000 flights have been used to collect data. Launched in 1993, MOZAIC (Measurement of Ozone by Airbus In-service Aircraft) evolved towards a European Research Infrastructure called IAGOS-DS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) in 2005 and then IAGOS-ERI in 2011. Read more ...
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‘Link globally, think locally’ is key to building successful sustainable aviation fuel supply chains, says industry expert
Fri 23 May 2014 - State and local initiatives in the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Brazil and other countries around the world are crucial to the successful deployment of sustainable alternative jet fuels, says Richard Altman, Executive Director Emeritus of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). These initiatives are beginning to produce significant results, he told a panel session held during this week's ILA Air Show in Berlin. The message of 'link globally, think locally' was key to building the breadth of biofuel activity needed by the aviation industry to reach its 2020 carbon-neutral growth goal, he said. With a host of new alternative fuel pathways and technologies awaiting certification, he argued it was critical that deployment be initiated in multiple geographic locations during the next few years to help meet the goal. Read more ...
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Sustainable jet fuel from Australian mallee trees could be powering aircraft from Perth by 2021, finds study
Fri 23 May 2014 - A two-year study commissioned by Airbus, Virgin Australia and other partners has concluded the mallee tree could be the basis for a viable and sustainable jet biofuel sector in Western Australia. The report on the study published by the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Centre (CRC) says jet fuel produced from the tree would meet strict sustainability criteria determined by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). The sustainability and life-cycle analysis carried out in the study covered the growing and harvesting of mallees and their conversion into aviation grade biofuel through the fast pyrolysis thermal and upgrading processes developed by Canadian company Dynamotive and France's IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN). The analysis shows the biofuel could emit 40 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based kerosene. Read more ...
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KLM and SkyNRG start new series of long-haul sustainable jet fuel flights to the Caribbean as part of ITAKA project
Fri 16 May 2014 - KLM has started a series of 20 long-haul sustainable jet fuel flights from Amsterdam to the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Bonaire as part of the ITAKA initiative, which is aimed at speeding up the development and commercialisation of such fuels in Europe. The first flight in the series took off today en route to Aruba and marks the longest biofuel flight performed by an Airbus aircraft. The 10-hour flight is powered by a 20 per cent blend made of used cooking oil supplied by leading sustainable aviation biofuel provider SkyNRG, a partner in ITAKA. Funded by the European Union, the initiative is a collaborative project that aims to link supply and demand by establishing relationships among feedstock growers and producers, biofuel producers, distributors and airlines. The flight will be met by Aruba Prime Minister Michiel Godfried Eman. Read more ...
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Lufthansa Group's fuel consumption drops as fuel efficiency beats the four-litre barrier for the first time
Thu 15 May 2014 - Passenger airlines in the Lufthansa Group collectively broke through the four-litre fuel efficiency mark for the first time in 2013, with an average consumption of 3.91 litres of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometres. This represents a 3.8 per cent improvement over 2012. The Group, which also includes subsidiaries SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Germanwings, points out that it achieved over twice the annual 1.5 per cent fuel efficiency improvement target set by the airline industry. Absolute fuel consumption within the Group dropped by 1.3 per cent year on year, the second time in a row to record a fall. A department was set up in 2013 specifically to improve fuel efficiency and is currently examining almost 1,000 individual steps to achieve further potential savings. Read more ...
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Boeing and Embraer to open joint research centre to help develop Brazilian aviation biofuel supply chain
Wed 14 May 2014 - Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Embraer are to open a joint research centre in Brazil to help advance a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in the country. Under the initiative, the two companies will also fund and coordinate research with Brazilian universities and other institutions. Located in Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, the centre's research will focus on technologies that address gaps in a national sustainable aviation biofuel supply chain, such as feedstock production and processing technologies. Last year, the two airplane companies, along with the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa of the state of Sao Paulo (FAPESP), completed an action plan, called Flightpath to Aviation Biofuels in Brazil, which identified gaps in the supply chain. Read more ...
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With air traffic likely to triple over the next 20 years, decoupling emissions growth will be a major challenge, warns IATA economist
Tue 13 May 2014 - Air transport has proved to be one of the fastest growing industries over the past 20 years, with passenger traffic nearly tripling in terms of revenue-passenger-kilometres (RPKs) and increasing at an average of 5.4 per cent per year since 1994. However, despite strong efficiency gains that have seen fuel use per revenue-tonne-kilometre (RTK) decline by nearly a half, this has led to the industry's carbon emissions increasing by one-and-a-half times over the same period, reported IATA's Chief Economist, Brian Pearce, at the ATAG Global Sustainable Aviation Summit in Geneva. With a similar rate of increase in air traffic expected over the next 20 years, industry and governments will need to overcome the challenge of decoupling it from the growth in emissions, he said. Read more ...
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Aviaso signs with CityJet for EU ETS reporting software and extends fuel efficiency contract with Monarch
Tue 13 May 2014 - European regional carrier CityJet has signed an agreement with aviation software company Aviaso for the implementation of a fully-automated EU ETS verification and reporting tool to ensure full compliance with the carbon emissions scheme. Legislation confirming flights between airports in the European Economic Area remain covered by the EU ETS entered into force on April 30. Meanwhile, Monarch Airlines has extended its contract with Aviaso for the company's fuel conservation software, which has been used by the carrier since 2012 as part of its goal to improve fuel efficiency by 6.8 per cent by the end of 2015. The software includes more than 100 ready-made analysis reports that allow the airline to understand its fuel consumption and identify potential fuel savings. Read more ...
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ACI on course to welcome 100th airport to its carbon scheme as Amsterdam Schiphol achieves neutrality
Mon 12 May 2014 - As it nears completion of the first five years of operation, the airport industry's Airport Carbon Accreditation programme has reported that 96 airports across four continents have now been certified. Initially launched by ACI Europe in June 2009, the programme was expanded to Asia-Pacific in 2011 and Africa in June 2013. It certifies airports at four different levels of accreditation - Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation and Neutrality - and last week Amsterdam Schiphol, Europe's fourth busiest airport, became the largest airport to achieve carbon neutrality, the highest level. With 15 airports in the Asia-Pacific region now participating in the programme, Sharjah International Airport has become the second to be accredited in the United Arab Emirates. Read more ...
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Avianca and Lufthansa team up with US next-gen biofuel companies to support alcohol-to-jet fuel approval
Fri 9 May 2014 - Avianca Brasil and Lufthansa have respectively agreed partnerships with Byogy Renewables and Gevo to test, evaluate and support the approval of alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) renewable fuels for commercial aviation use. Jet biofuels certified so far by fuel standards body ASTM International are restricted to no higher than a 50 per cent blend with conventional jet kerosene but Byogy claims its proprietary ATJ process can produce a full replacement standalone fuel that does not require blending. Avianca will perform advanced flight testing to acquire test data and support an environmental impact study in the ASTM adoption process. Lufthansa will evaluate and test Gevo's renewable jet fuel derived from isobutanol under a project supported by the European Commission. Another US advanced biofuel company developing renewable jet fuel, Amyris, has just received RSB sustainability certification. Read more ...
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Alaska and Spirit the most fuel-efficient on US domestic operations with overall trend showing modest gain
Wed 7 May 2014 - Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines have widened their lead over other carriers as the most fuel-efficient on US domestic operations in both 2011 and 2012, according to an analysis by the US-based International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The two airlines were found to have deployed new, efficient fleets and technologies as well as more efficient operational practices. The two least fuel-efficient airlines, Allegiant Air and American Airlines, both burned 26 per cent more fuel than Alaska to provide an equivalent level of transport service, the same gap ICCT found in a benchmark performance assessment for 2010. Although overall fuel efficiency on domestic airlines improved by 2.3 per cent from 2010 to 2012, this fell short of US government and ICAO international aviation goals, says the independent non-profit environmental research organisation. Read more ...
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EU research project claims revolutionary breakthrough that uses solar power to produce renewable jet fuel
Wed 7 May 2014 - A collaboration of European research organisations, academia and industry has claimed the first-ever production of synthesised 'solar' jet fuel, which they say is a major step towards truly sustainable fuels using virtually unlimited feedstocks. The SOLAR-JET project, launched in 2011 with funding from the EU 7th Framework Programme, has managed to demonstrate a process technology using concentrated sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to a synthesis gas (syngas) - a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide - that can then be finally converted into jet kerosene by using commercial Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology. Those involved in the project include Bauhaus Luftfahrt, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), ARTTIC and Shell, which claim the development of the pathway will put Europe in the forefront of research, innovation and production of sustainable fuels directly from concentrated solar energy. Read more ...
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India says new international treaty will be required to enforce ICAO aviation emissions global market-based measure
Tue 6 May 2014 - India's representative on the governing ICAO Council believes an agreement can be reached on a global market-based measure (MBM) to reduce the impact of growing international aviation carbon emissions but it would need to be backed up with an international treaty signed by all 191 member states. Without such a binding agreement, it will be hard to enforce compliance on airlines and countries, Prashant Sukul told the aviation industry's Global Sustainable Aviation Summit. However, the FAA's Carl Burleson, an experienced US negotiator on the ICAO MBM issue, responded that formulating a treaty would cause an unnecessary delay in implementing the scheme. Sukul said India and the other BRIC countries would expect to be a part of the global MBM from its proposed start in 2020 and added the new process now taking place at ICAO "had to work". Read more ...
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Boost for British Airways and Solena waste-to-jet fuel GreenSky project as location of facility is confirmed
Wed 16 Apr 2014 - The British Airways and Solena project to convert landfill waste into jet fuel has received a major boost with the announcement of the location chosen for the facility. The site will be in the Thames Enterprise Park, a regeneration project just east of London on the estuary of the River Thames that includes a former oil refinery. Work on building the GreenSky facility is expected to start in 2015 and employ around 1,000 workers in the construction, which is due to be completed in 2017, and create up to 150 permanent jobs when operational. British Airways is providing construction capital and becoming a minority shareholder in the $500 million GreenSky project. The airline has committed to purchasing all the jet fuel produced by the plant, around 16 million gallons a year, for the next 11 years at market competitive prices, currently worth around $550 million. Read more ...
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NASA signs agreements with German and Canadian partners to test impact of alternative fuels at altitude
Mon 14 Apr 2014 - NASA has signed separate agreements with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to conduct a series of joint flight tests to study the atmospheric effects of emissions from jet engines burning alternative fuels. The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions (ACCESS II) flights are due to begin on May 7 from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The programme will be the latest in a series of NASA ground and flight tests that began in 2009 to study emissions and contrails formation from new blends of renewable aviation fuels. ACCESS I tests showed that such blends may substantially reduce emissions of black carbon, sulphates and organics, says NASA. ACCESS II will gather additional data, with an emphasis on studying contrail formation. Read more ...
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First round-the-world solar powered flight to take place in 2015 as Solar Impulse 2 is unveiled
Mon 14 Apr 2014 - The Solar Impulse team have unveiled the second version of their aircraft that has been designed to complete the world's first round-the-world solar-powered flight. The two co-founders - explorer Bertrand Piccard and engineer Andre Borschberg - will take turns to fly Solar Impulse 2 eastwards from continent to continent starting in March 2015 from the Gulf area. As well as a feat of aviation innovation, the aim of the project is to promote clean technology around the world. With a technical team of 80 specialists, it has so far taken 12 years of calculations, simulations, construction and testing. With a weight of just 2,300kg, the single-seater aircraft has a huge wingspan of 72 metres – longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and only 8 metres shorter than the Airbus A380. The wings, fuselage and horizontal tailplane contain 17,248 highly-efficient solar cells, each only 135 microns thick, the same as a human hair. Read more ...
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ACI’s airport carbon programme extends its reach as Incheon becomes South Korea's first accredited airport
Thu 10 Apr 2014 - Seoul's Incheon International Airport has become the first South Korean airport to achieve certification in ACI's Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme. There are four levels of certification and the airport reached the third 'Optimisation' level. Under the programme, an airport must first measure its carbon footprint (Level 1) and put in place carbon management procedures to show emissions reductions (Level 2). To achieve Level 3, it must then engage with third party service providers at the airport, such as ground handlers and catering companies, to further reduce emissions. It also involves engagement with authorities and users on surface access to and from the airport. Launched by ACI Europe in June 2009, the voluntary programme now has around 80 airports participating on three continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. Read more ...
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British Airways opts for credit360’s sustainability software to monitor its carbon reduction performance
Thu 10 Apr 2014 - British Airways has selected sustainability software company credit360 to monitor and help reduce the airline's carbon footprint. The software will be used to track the fuel burn and carbon emissions per passenger kilometre for every aircraft in the fleet and will allow BA to compare and contrast the sustainability performance of different aircraft and identify areas for improvement. The system will also be deployed to help collect and manage a wide range of social and environmental indicators across more than 200 sites. In line with its One Destination sustainability plan, the airline has a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 from a 2005 baseline. British Airways is the first airline customer for credit360, which has signed up 30 other organisations over the past year for its sustainability software and now has more than 175 clients worldwide. Read more ...
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Boeing receives EPA's highest energy efficiency award for its operations as it strives for zero emissions growth
Wed 9 Apr 2014 - For the second year in succession, Boeing has been awarded 'Energy Star Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence' recognition by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its leadership in energy efficiency. Award winners are selected from around 16,000 organisations participating in the Energy Star voluntary programme and Boeing is among 16 other 'Partners of the Year' recognised by an award in the industrial category. Boeing has received the Energy Star award each year since 2011 and reached the Sustained Excellence level in 2013. From 2007 to 2012, Boeing reduced its energy consumption by 3 per cent on an absolute basis, the equivalent of energy to power 44,000 US homes for a year. Last year, it set new targets of zero growth for greenhouse gas emissions by 2017. Read more ...
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Feisty exchanges over Aviation EU ETS as European Parliament votes to continue with ‘Stop the Clock’
Thu 3 Apr 2014 - The European Parliament today voted in favour of a compromise agreement brokered between Parliament rapporteurs and EU member states, represented by the European Council. The vote will see a resumption of the 'Stop the Clock' (STC) scope in which only intra-European Economic Area (EEA) flights will be covered by the Aviation EU ETS, rather than the proposal by the European Commission to also include emissions from international flights within EEA airspace. Despite the large majority in favour of the compromise - 458 for, 120 against and 24 abstentions - the vote was preceded by feisty exchanges between MEPs in a debate on the issue. STC will now run from 2013 until the end of 2016 and the agreement allows for a return to the original full scope of the scheme from 2017 should an agreement at ICAO to implement a global market-based mechanism from 2020 not be reached at its Assembly in 2016. (Updated April 4, 7 & 14) Read more ...
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Critical week for the Aviation EU ETS as MEPs hear arguments on which proposal to support
Mon 31 Mar 2014 - With a crucial vote in the European Parliament this week, MEPs will be presented with two choices that will likely determine the future of the Aviation EU ETS until at least 2016. As the lead environment committee (ENVI) voted by the narrowest of margins on March 19 to reject a trilogue compromise agreed with EU member states to continue with the 'Stop the Clock' (STC) scope of the scheme, the airspace proposal put forward by the European Commission and supported by a majority of ENVI members will be the text presented to the plenary session. However, the STC trilogue deal is expected to be tabled as an amendment and may well achieve majority support. Meanwhile, NGOs are urging MEPs to vote for the airspace approach while representatives from the aviation industry are calling for a vote against and in favour of the trilogue deal. The debate on the issue will be held on Wednesday evening (April 2) with the vote taking place the following morning. Read more ...
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US demonstration plant starts daily production of drop-in renewable jet and biodiesel fuels
Fri 28 Mar 2014 - A newly-commissioned demonstration-scale facility in St Joseph, Missouri has started 24/7 operations that will see production of 4,200 gallons per day of renewable jet and diesel fuels from industrial and waste oils. The venture is a partnership of Applied Research Associates (ARA), Blue Sun Energy and Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), and uses a propriety process called Biofuels Isoconversion (BIC) to produce 100 per cent drop-in diesel and jet fuels. The partners claim the low-cost process can convert any non-edible fats and oils directly into high-density, aromatic cycloparaffin and isoparaffin hydrocarbons that are ideal for drop-in military and civilian jet fuels. ARA and CLG were amongst participants in a Canadian project in 2012 that included the first flight of a civilian aircraft using unblended renewable jet biofuel. Read more ...
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Gatwick goes on the noise offensive with compensation pledge to help win battle for a new London runway
Thu 27 Mar 2014 - As competition hots up to persuade the UK government-appointed Airports Commission, and ultimately Parliament, on their own cases for building a new runway, London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports have stressed the importance of winning the aircraft noise debate. Believed to be the first airport in the world to make such an offer, Gatwick has committed to pay annual compensation of around £1,000 ($1,600) to local households most affected by aircraft noise should it receive approval for a new second runway. It has also released a supportive noise management report that benchmarks its approach with other leading UK and European airports. Heathrow, meanwhile, has pointed to a survey it commissioned from pollsters Populus that aircraft noise is only the seventh most important aspect of a London airport for Londoners. Read more ...
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Converting airport equipment to electric at Sea-Tac to save $2.8 million of fuel and 10,000 tons of emissions annually
Tue 25 Mar 2014 - One of North America's greenest airports, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has launched a $31 million project to provide nearly 600 electric charging stations for ground support equipment (GSE) such as baggage tugs, bag ramps and pushback vehicles. Converting the GSE to electric is projected to save around $2.8 million in airline fuel costs and 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Alaska Airlines is already switching 204 fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric - 146 with Alaska and 58 with Horizon - and more airlines will join the programme later this year. A large part of the funding is coming from federal grants including from the US Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Read more ...
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Norwegian airport operator Avinor to invest up to $16.5 million to support national aviation biofuel production
Mon 24 Mar 2014 - Norway's state-owned airport operator and air navigation services provider Avinor has pledged to contribute up to 100 million Norwegian kroner ($16.5 million) over a ten-year period to help develop an aviation biofuel sector in the country. Announcing the move at an Avinor conference, 'Fly with Norwegian biofuel in 2020', the organisation's CEO said the advent of new and more energy-efficient aircraft would not be enough as the industry works towards carbon-neutral growth, and biofuels would have to be a key part of the solution. Petter Heyerdahl, Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), told the conference that biomass for producing biofuels should be reserved for the transport sector, in particular aviation, where there are few alternative options to fossil fuels. Read more ...
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Development of sustainable jet fuels moves towards next phase of new technology pathways and ramping up supply
Fri 21 Mar 2014 - The early excitement of demonstration flights and subsequent approvals for the use of some types of biofuel blends on passenger flights has given way to the less headline-grabbing 'hard yards' of establishing supply chains to provide airlines with cost-competitive and sustainable fuels. New technology pathways are expected to be certified for commercial aviation use within the next year that will see innovative synthetic jet fuels reach the market. The recent disclosure that green diesel may become a blending source for jet fuel is another important step. The challenge now is to move beyond one-off projects towards a continuous supply of jet biofuels using standard fuel logistics at airports. The recent Bio Jet Fuel conference at the World Bio Markets in Amsterdam brought together the aviation and biofuel sectors to discuss progress. GreenAir reports from the event on the latest developments in Europe and further afield. Read more ...
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Aviation EU ETS agreement to continue with 'Stop the Clock' stumbles as Parliament's ENVI MEPs narrowly vote to reject
Wed 19 Mar 2014 - MEPs on the European Parliament's environment committee (ENVI) today narrowly rejected a compromise agreement reached with EU member states and the European Commission to extend the 'Stop the Clock' scope of the Aviation EU ETS until 2016. The deal, if passed, would have paved the way for the scheme's scope to be restricted to flights within the European Economic Area (EEA) to allow ICAO room to agree the introduction of a binding global market-based measure (MBM) from 2020. Green and left of centre ENVI members decided at a party level to reject the deal brokered during trilogue negotiations by the committee's rapporteur on the legislation, centre-right German MEP Peter Liese. The deal fell short of an earlier agreement by ENVI members to back a Commission proposal that would see EEA airspace coverage of the emissions from all international flights departing and arriving EEA airports. However, Liese is confident a plenary of the full Parliament next month will vote for the compromise. Read more ...
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ICAO groups start work on developing a global market-based measure for international aviation emissions
Wed 12 Mar 2014 - As ICAO begins its task of developing a global market-based measure (MBM) to address the growth of international aviation emissions, the establishment of groups to carry out the political and practical aspects of the work is nearly complete. The UN agency's governing Council has agreed a clear process and roadmap with expected milestones and the necessary governance structure, confirmed an ICAO spokesperson. Under the direction of the Council, the Environment Advisory Group (EAG) - a proposal of the BRIC countries - will oversee the work related to the development of the global scheme, which will be principally undertaken by a Global Market-based Measure Technical Task Force (GMTF) comprised of representatives and experts from ICAO member states, industry and NGOs. Both the EAG and GMTF held their first meetings last week. Read more ...
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Iberia fits Airbus A340 with air quality sampling equipment as part of IAGOS climate change research project
Mon 10 Mar 2014 - Iberia is to take part in the IAGOS air quality and composition measurement project, a part of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures. The IAGOS - Integration of Routine Aircraft Measurements into a Global Observing System - project measures the chemical composition of air samples taken from an aircraft at cruising altitude. The Spanish airline has installed air sampling equipment on an Airbus A340-300 used on routes to Latin America and will measure quantities of H2O, O3, CO, CO2, NOx and aerosols. To show variations over time, the aircraft will collect and report the data for several years. The data will also be reported to weather services almost in real time. Other airlines participating in IAGOS include Lufthansa, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Air France. The German airline was the first to join the project, equipping an A340-300 in July 2011. Read more ...
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Boeing, South African Airways and RSB start efforts to help small farmers in Southern Africa grow sustainable biofuels
Mon 10 Mar 2014 - Following their agreement last October to work together on a strategy to develop and implement a sustainable aviation biofuel sector in Southern Africa, Boeing and South African Airways (SAA) are extending the collaboration to include the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). The three partners have announced an initiative to help smallhold farmers in the region grow crops to produce sustainable fuels. In December, Boeing and RSB held a three-day workshop in Kuala Lumpur with the aim of bringing together small farmers and local interests in Southeast Asia to educate and inform on sustainable feedstock practices. SAA has a target of having 50 per cent of its fuel uplifted at Johannesburg to be made up of sustainable jet fuel by 2023. Read more ...
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EU states get their way as deal struck with Parliament negotiators to continue with 'Stop the Clock'
Tue 5 Mar 2014 - Negotiators from the three European institutions - the Parliament, Commission and the Council - have reached an agreement that is likely to see an extension to 2016 of the one-year 'Stop the Clock' (STC) suspension of the full scope of the Aviation EU ETS. The Commission, backed by members of the Parliament's environment committee (ENVI), supported an airspace approach that would have seen all airlines flying to and from Europe covered by the EU ETS for the portion of flights taking place in EEA airspace. However, worried about international repercussions, a majority of EU member states - led by France, Germany and the UK - have won their fight for a continuation of STC without appearing to have made any meaningful concessions beyond a commitment to return to the full scope from 2017 if no binding agreement is reached on a global market-based measure at ICAO. Article updated March 7 Read more ...
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Emissions reductions at Boeing facilities recognised by Climate Leadership Award from US EPA
Mon 3 Mar 2014 - In recognition of its success in managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities, Boeing has received a Climate Leadership Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The award is made to organisations that publicly report and verify corporate greenhouse gas inventories and achieve emissions reduction goals. Through the Climate Leaders programme, Boeing surpassed its own goal of reducing absolute emissions from its US operations by one per cent from 2007 to 2012. The aircraft manufacturer said it had achieved the reductions through employee involvement and energy conservation programmes, including upgrades to lighting and heating, venting and air conditioning systems, and the use of renewable energy. Boeing use hydroelectric and renewable energy sources for nearly half of its total domestic electricity consumption. Read more ...
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Civil aviation mourns the passing of Assad Kotaite, ICAO leader, diplomat and visionary
Mon 3 Mar 2014 - Universally recognised as one of the most prominent and respected figures in the world of civil aviation, Dr Assad Kotaite, Council President Emeritus of ICAO, died on 27 February at the age of 89. His career with ICAO began in 1953, and from 1956 to 1970 he was the Representative of Lebanon on the Council of ICAO. In 1970, he was appointed Secretary General of ICAO and then elected President of the Council for eleven successive mandates - from 1976 until his retirement 30 years later in 2006. His tenure is the longest among senior executives in the history of the United Nations system. His environmental involvement included overseeing the development of the Committee on Aircraft Noise, which eventually became the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, and the associated introduction of environmental standards by ICAO. Chris Lyle remembers a giant of aviation and a mentor to many. Read more ...
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NGOs urge EU governments to take action over EU ETS enforcement against non-compliant foreign airlines
Fri 28 Feb 2014 - European environmental NGOs have formally requested German, Dutch and British authorities responsible for administering the Aviation EU ETS to take necessary action against airlines that failed to comply with the carbon scheme in 2012. The NGOs name airlines Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Air India, Jet Airways, Saudia and Aeroflot as not having submitted carbon permits to cover their intra-European flights that year by the 30 April 2013 deadline. Facing international opposition, the EU temporarily suspended a requirement for airlines to report emissions from intercontinental flights to and from Europe in 2012 under the 'Stop the Clock' derogation in order to allow progress towards an ICAO agreement on a global market-based measure. However, carriers regardless of nationality were still required to comply with the scheme for flights carried out within Europe. The NGOs point out that offenders gain a competitive advantage over compliant airlines if the regulations are not enforced equally and consistently. Read more ...
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Leading UK companies taking part in WWF challenge cut business flights by 38 per cent over three-year period
Thu 27 Feb 2014 - Some of the UK's biggest companies have cut flights by up to 38 percent and flight expenditure by 42 per cent over a three-year period, saving over £2 million ($3.3m) and 3,000 tonnes of CO2 on average. Twelve companies and organisations are taking part in the One in Five Challenge run by WWF-UK to reduce their flights by 20 per cent within five years. Participants such as BSkyB, BT, Capgemini, Lloyds TSB, Microsoft UK, Vodafone and the Scottish Government have managed to cut more flights, more quickly than anticipated, according to the programme's latest annual report. The aim is to encourage companies to cut their costs and carbon from business travel, and change behaviour in favour of alternatives such as rail and videoconferencing. WWF-UK claims its analysis points to a permanent change in meeting and travel practices and questions the business case for UK airport expansion. Read more ...
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Cathay Pacific, SAA and Thai up their game in response to Heathrow's noise performance league table ratings
Tue 25 Feb 2014 - Following the launch last November by London's Heathrow Airport of its 'name and shame' quarterly Fly Quiet noise performance table, a number of airlines have responded by replacing older aircraft on their Heathrow route and improving track keeping procedures. The table lists the top 50 airlines serving the airport by number of flights in the quarter according to six noise-related criteria. Each airline receives a red/amber/green rating according to each criterion, as well as an overall score that allows comparison with other airlines. The second table, covering the period October to December 2013, has just been published. Heathrow singles out Cathay Pacific Airways, South African Airways and Thai Airways for special mention over their improved noise performance. Read more ...
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Aircraft operator hit with half a million euro EU ETS non-compliance penalty as EU states send out enforcement notices
Mon 24 Feb 2014 - As part of a coordinated process across EU member states, notices have been sent to airlines and business jet operators that failed to comply with Aviation EU ETS regulations in 2012. One Europe-based commercial business jet owner is understood to have received a penalty from the UK authorities amounting to nearly half a million euros for failing to surrender the required number of allowances by the 30 April 2013 deadline. Each member state has legislated differently on enforcement and the UK has chosen a tiered approach, serving notices on just a handful of operators for now, whereas others have sent notices to all non-compliant operators. In a looming test of political will, some EU authorities are faced with enforcing penalties on Chinese, Indian and Russian operators that carried out intra-European flights in 2012 but failed to comply with the EU ETS 'Stop the Clock' regime. Read more ...
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Airbus and China's COMAC to cooperate on developing ATM concepts to deliver sustainable air transport growth
Fri 21 Feb 2014 - Airbus and Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on developing new air traffic management (ATM) concepts and operations that they claim will help enable a sustainable growth in air transport. The partners will share best practices and identify improvements required by current ATM technology roadmaps both on-board the aircraft and on the ground. Standardised and interoperable ATM, they say, will make flights more efficient, with passengers enjoying shorter travelling times as a result of optimised take-off, landing and taxiing procedures. Emissions, they add, will also be significantly reduced and lower levels of noise will benefit people living near to airports. Read more ...
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Deal on extending EU ETS 'Stop the Clock' until 2016 inches closer but red lines drawn on revenue earmarking
Fri 21 Feb 2014 - The first trilogue negotiations this week involving representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament (EP) and EU member states, represented by the European Council, to hammer out a way forward for the Aviation EU ETS has resulted in a closing of gaps on some issues but divisions on others. The 'Stop the Clock' (STC) derogation applying to intercontinental flights was for 2012 only and if the EU institutions fail to find an agreement the carbon scheme will automatically 'snap back' to the original full scope of the EU directive, with the prospect of renewed international fall-out. Whereas EU states are supporting a modified STC scope, the Parliament's environment committee, which leads on the directive, supports a Commission proposal to regulate all flights taking place in EEA airspace. It now appears EP negotiators are willing to accept STC until 2016 but in exchange demand states earmark ETS auction revenues for climate purposes and a tightening of the emissions cap. Read more ...
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China’s aviation regulator opens the way for commercial use of aviation biofuel as it awards first licence to Sinopec
Wed 19 Feb 2014 – The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has awarded a licence to the country's leading oil refiner Sinopec that permits use of its 'No. 1 Aviation Biofuel' in commercial operations. This is the first licence to be awarded and follows two years of testing by CAAC's Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Department. Last April, China Eastern Airlines carried out a test flight of an Airbus A320 from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport using conventional jet fuel blended with biofuel made up of palm oil and used cooking oil that had been developed, produced and refined by Sinopec. Awarding the Chinese Technical Standard Order Authorization (CTSOA), CAAC said the fuel met international fuel certification standards and the process had involved the participation of US and European regulatory authorities. It added the development of alternative clean energy was an important measure in promoting the sustainable development of civil aviation in the country and achieving emissions reduction targets. Read more ...
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United Airlines to replace its hot beverage cups with a fully recyclable version made from plastic bottles
Tue 18 Feb 2014 - United Airlines is to replace its non-recyclable Styrofoam hot beverage cups with a fully recyclable cup made from up to 50 per cent recycled materials. The eco-friendly, insulating InCycle cup is manufactured by Washington-based MicroGREEN using a waterless, additive-free recycling process in which over four cups can be made from a single recycled PET plastic water bottle. The InCycle cup is already in service at Alaska Airlines and the technology has won a number of green innovation awards. United says it is reviewing its operational recycling efforts to find ways to reduce waste and to increase recycling within its system. This includes a re-design of the airline's inflight recycling policy and procedures to simplify the process for flight attendants, generate increased recycling volumes and minimise waste. Read more ...
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UK sustainable aviation industry group plots roadmap towards a 30 per cent uptake in aviation biofuels by 2050
Mon 17 Feb 2014 - The UK cross-sector industry group Sustainable Aviation (SA) has started work on a roadmap to plot a path towards achieving a 30 per cent take-up of sustainable alternative aviation fuels by 2050. These fuels are expected to show lifecycle savings of 60 per cent compared to their fossil fuel equivalent and therefore contribute to an overall reduction of 18 per cent in UK aviation CO2 emissions. According to the incoming Chair of the group, British Airways' Head of Environment Jonathon Counsell, one of the aims of the roadmap is to stimulate UK government action on aviation biofuels. The roadmap is expected to be unveiled at the Farnborough air show in July and will follow the publication of other SA roadmaps over the past two years covering CO2 emissions and aircraft noise. Achievements by the group and members during the period are detailed in its Progress Report 2013 just published. Read more ...
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Malaysia’s first airport solar power system to save $627,000 in annual energy costs and 18,000 tonnes of CO2
Thu 6 Feb 2014 - Malaysia Airports has unveiled the country's first airport solar power system at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The 19 megawatt interconnected system - the largest of its type in Malaysia - is designed to generate more than 26,000-megawatt hours of energy per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 18 million kilograms per year. Based on current energy costs, the combined solar power systems are expected to save the airport around RM2.1 million ($627,000) annually. To generate the maximum amount of energy from the limited space available, a solution was found to install ground-mount, parking canopy and rooftop systems. The installation was carried ou by solar technology manufacturer and provider SunEdison. Read more ...
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Growing confidence in understanding the climate impact of aviation non-CO2 effects, says leading scientist
Fri 31 Jan 2014 - It is readily accepted that in addition to CO2 there are other climate forcing effects caused by aircraft but scientists have been less clear as to the extent of the impact. However, according to Keith Shine, Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science at the UK's University of Reading, there is now a growing confidence in the understanding of other contributory climate factors from aviation. Although there remains uncertainty over the role of aerosols and sulphur emissions emitted by aircraft at altitude, significant progress has been made on the effects of contrail forcing and NOx and water vapour emissions. Shine said non-CO2 effects were short-lived compared to CO2 emissions and it was a decision for policy-makers, not scientists, on how they should be factored in when determining action on aviation's climate change impact. Read more ...
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Students and companies worldwide invited to join open-source Embry-Riddle project to develop renewable jet fuel
Fri 31 Jan 2014 - Senior students at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott, Arizona are taking part in an open-source project to develop jet biofuel. The 'CapStone' project is also inviting the participation of students and academics from universities around the world as well as companies interested in developing renewable jet fuel. The classroom lectures are filmed for worldwide consumption and a global network will allow participants to contribute to the science and technology of the project and share with experts through social media. The students will be working on further development of a biodiesel transesterification reactor invented by Dr Richard Parnas of the University of Connecticut, which is claimed to be a small, efficient and inexpensive process to recycle waste vegetable oil (WVO) into biodiesel or jet fuel. The project is being co-sponsored by DoctorBioDiesel, a local biodiesel fuel additive company, and two media and internet associates. Read more ...
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Liese secures Parliament mandate to back EU ETS airspace proposal and sets sights on revenue earmarking
Thu 30 Jan 2014 - The Environment Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament today voted 49-6 in favour of supporting the European Commission's EU ETS airspace proposal that aims to include emissions within EU/EEA airspace from all flights to, from and within Europe. The committee also passed amendments to the proposal that seek to restrict the airspace scope until 2016 rather than until 2020, as suggested by the Commission, plus the introduction into the directive of a legally binding commitment by EU member states to earmark EU ETS auction revenues for climate-related funding. The vote provides a mandate for the EU ETS directive's rapporteur, Peter Liese, to negotiate with the Commission and member states, through the European Council, on the legislation. Member states are largely against the proposal and favour a continuation of the 'Stop the Clock' (STC) approach that restricted emissions coverage to intra-EU/EEA flights only during 2012, as do MEPs on the industry and transport committees (ITRE and TRAN), and tough trilogue discussions are expected during February and March to seek an agreement. Read more ...
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Angry MEPs threaten to derail Aviation EU ETS negotiations with EU states over airline non-compliance
Wed 29 Jan 2014 - Politicians in the European Parliament have demanded EU member states get tough with airlines that failed to comply with the EU ETS in 2012. The Parliament's rapporteur on the Aviation EU ETS, Peter Liese, has threatened to derail the forthcoming negotiations with the Council, which represents member states, over the future of the directive if enforcement steps are not taken. The trilogue process is expected to be challenging as Liese and a majority of MEPs are supporting the European Commission's airspace ETS proposal whereas EU states - in particular France, Germany and the UK - want a scaling back. Airlines from China, India and Saudi Arabia were named as operating intra-EU flights during 2012 but did not comply. Meanwhile, EU Competent Authorities are advising all aircraft operators with flights to, from and within the EU/EEA during 2013 to report full scope emissions by March 31. Read more ...
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Aviation EU ETS up in the air as European politicians, member states and airlines differ on future direction
Mon 27 Jan 2014 - With a decision required by EU institutions before the end of April, there remains strong disagreement over the future direction of the Aviation EU ETS, not only within the European Parliament and EU member states but also between European airlines. MEPs in the Parliament's transport and industry committees voted last week to water down the Commission's proposal to regulate emissions from all flights within EU/EEA airspace. The environment committee, which leads on the issue, is due to vote on Thursday (Jan 30) and largely backs the proposal. Rapporteurs on the three committees are now attempting to seek a compromise. Meanwhile, the three trade associations representing European airlines differ too on the future EU ETS scope. A clash is also looming between Parliament and member states on the earmarking of EU ETS auction revenues. Read more ...
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Airbus sets up Centre of Excellence in Malaysia to assess local sustainable jet fuel production opportunities
Mon 27 Jan 2014 - Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with five research and technology institutions to assess local opportunities for sustainable biomass production in Malaysia. The aim, says Airbus, is to determine the most suitable feedstocks to ensure any future jet fuel production is based only on sustainable solutions. According to the latest Global Market Forecast by Airbus, Asia-Pacific will lead in terms of world traffic by 2032. "Today's MoU is part of our engagement to support traffic growth whilst reducing aviation's footprint on the environment," said the aircraft manufacturer's New Energies Programme Manager, Frederic Eychenne. The first assessment is due to be completed by December 2014. Read more ...
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Canadian aerospace initiative receives $22 million over five years to continue green aviation R&D
Fri 24 Jan 2014 - The Canadian government has announced it will contribute CAD$12 million ($11m) over the next five years to the Green Aviation Research & Development Network (GARDN), an initiative that brings together more than 35 industry, university and government partners. The funding will be matched by participating aerospace companies under the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE) programme. The aim of GARDN, which was first set up in 2009 with funding from BL-NCE, is to reduce the ecological footprint of the important aerospace sector in Canada, the fifth largest in the world. Activities are structured around two strategic pillars: the funding of research projects in industry and the development of strategic thinking on green aviation in Canada. Read more ...
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Seawater-fed desert plant an efficient source of sustainable aviation biofuel, find Abu Dhabi scientists
Thu 23 Jan 2014 - Research scientists in Abu Dhabi claim to have made a breakthrough in sustainable aviation biofuel development, finding desert plants fed by seawater can produce biofuel more efficiently than other well-known feedstocks. The work, funded by Boeing, Etihad Airways and Honeywell UOP, is being carried out by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), which is affiliated with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. SBRC scientists will now test their findings in a pilot project that could support biofuel crop production in arid countries, such as the United Arab Emirates. Announced at this week's World Future Energy Summit, the promising research follows the launch a few days ago of the BIOjet Abu Dhabi advanced aviation biofuel initiative and a sustainable biofuel demonstration flight by Etihad. Read more ...
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Demonstration flight marks launch of new Abu Dhabi initiative to develop a UAE sustainable aviation biofuel industry
Mon 20 Jan 2014 - A new initiative, BIOjet Abu Dhabi, has been launched to set up a sustainable aviation biofuel supply chain in the United Arab Emirates. The five partners collaborating in the venture - Etihad Airways, Boeing, Takreer, Total and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology - will engage a broad range of stakeholders to develop a framework for the supply chain. The initiative will focus on research and development together with investments in feedstock production and refining capability in the UAE and globally. To mark the launch, Etihad undertook a 45-minute demonstration flight of a Boeing 777 with one engine powered by a locally-blended jet fuel made up of 10 per cent plant-derived biofuel supplied by Total/Amyris and conventional jet kerosene. Read more ...
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Bombardier's Belfast facility given green light on energy plant to convert waste into heat and electricity
Wed 15 Jan 2014 - The Bombardier Aerospace factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which makes the advanced composite wings for the new CSeries jet, has been granted full planning consent for a new £85 million ($140m) energy plant that will convert waste into electricity and heat for the facility. The plant, which is expected to take 18 months to build, will be situated adjacent to the factory and will convert 120,000 tonnes of non-recyclable commercial and industrial waste annually using a gasification process. The project will reduce energy costs significantly, an important factor given the Belfast factory pays three times more for its power than sister facilities in North America. Read more ...
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Boeing identifies readily-available renewable green diesel as potential cost-competitive sustainable jet fuel
Tue 14 Jan 2014 - In what could be a significant breakthrough, Boeing has identified green diesel - a renewable ground transportation fuel - as a new source of sustainable aviation biofuel. Analysis by Boeing researchers has found that green diesel - not to be confused with biodiesel, which is a separate product and chemically different - has similar chemical properties to today's aviation biofuel. The company says the fuel emits at least 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel over its life-cycle and could be blended directly with traditional jet fuel. Boeing says it is now working with the US FAA and other stakeholders to gain approval for aircraft to fly on green diesel. Read more ...
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Airbus signs agreement with Safran and Honeywell to further develop and evaluate green taxiing system
Mon 13 Jan 2014 - Airbus has agreed to back further evaluation of the autonomous electric taxiing system undergoing development by Safran and Honeywell Aerospace. The MoU with the EGTS International joint venture marks the selection of the system - referred to by Airbus as eTaxi - for the narrowbody Airbus A320 family aircraft. The system would allow an aircraft to push back from the gate without a tug, taxi out to the runway and return to the gate after landing without operating the main engines. On an average per trip basis, projected fuel savings and CO2 reductions are estimated at around four per cent and taxiing-related carbon and nitrous oxide emissions are expected to be cut in half. The significantly more efficient taxiing operation would also save around two minutes of time on pushback. Over the next few months, the partners will develop a global commercial case and implementation plan to determine the system's feasibility. Read more ...
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Analysis shows 84m tonnes of aviation CO2 covered by EU ETS in 2012 as cargo airlines reap windfalls
Thu 9 Jan 2014 - According a Sandbag analysis, over 1,000 participating airlines and aircraft operators reported between them a total of 84 million tonnes of CO2 emissions for the first year of aviation’s inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Around 89 per cent of eligible operators fully complied with the scheme, representing 98 per cent of intra-EU aviation emissions. Although the one-year 'Stop the Clock' (STC) derogation allowed operators to opt out from having to surrender allowances for extra-EU international flights, a number of major air cargo carriers based inside and outside the EU chose to comply with the full scope of the scheme, enabling them to end 2012 with a surplus of free allowances representing a windfall, says Sandbag. Although denied by the airline, Sandbag estimates Europe's biggest emitter, Ryanair, stood to reap a windfall in 2012 of around 8 million euros ($10.9m) through its passenger EU ETS levy. Read more ...
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Swedish airport launches competition to find solution to reduce ground noise impact on local residents
Tue 7 Jan 2014 - Swedish airport operator Swedavia has launched a competition to find an innovative solution that will reduce ground noise affecting the residential area of Bromma Kyrka, close to Bromma Stockholm Airport. The challenge, which carries a prize of 100,000 Swedish krona (around $15,000), is open to individuals and teams from anywhere in the world. Swedavia says it is looking for ideas that represent "innovation and clever design" and follow certain criteria in terms of feasibility, noise reduction, financial soundness and aesthetics. Bromma is Stockholm's city airport, situated just nine kilometres from the city centre, with the closest residents living only 180 metres from the runway and therefore exposed to noise from aircraft and airport vehicles. Closing date for competition entries is February 28 and the winner will be chosen in the Spring. Read more ...
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Airways New Zealand develops seven new green aviation Asia-Pacific routes under the ASPIRE programme
Mon 6 Jan 2014 - Seven new 'green aviation routes' have been introduced between New Zealand and airports in the United States and Singapore under the ASPIRE – Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions – programme. ASPIRE-Daily City Pairs are daily routes certified by IATA as using best practice procedures to reduce environmental impact. The new routes developed by air navigation service provider Airways New Zealand are Auckland-Singapore return; Christchurch-Singapore return; Los Angeles-Auckland return; and San Francisco-Auckland. The ANSP is now assisting Airports Fiji to join ASPIRE, with the aim of decreasing air traffic's environmental footprint in the South Pacific. Read more ...
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