Solena jet biofuel project with British Airways on track, says CEO, as the airline seeks further supplies for engine testing
Wed 28 July 2010 - Solena Group CEO Dr Robert Do says the search for a potential site for its waste biomass-to-jet fuel plant in East London has been narrowed down to two or three locations, with an announcement due shortly. Speaking at last week's Farnborough Air Show, Do expressed confidence that the company will be successful in attracting major international investors for the proposed $280 million facility. Now dubbed the GreenSky project, Solena and its partner and customer British Airways are bullish that 16 million gallons of jet biofuel will be in annual production once the plant opens in 2014. Meanwhile, the airline and Rolls-Royce have invited fuel suppliers to take part in a test programme to evaluate a range of alternative jet fuels. Read more ...
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Alaska Airlines' Greener Skies project continues with new emissions and noise reduction demonstration flight
Fri 23 July 2010 - Alaska Airlines this week conducted an Optimized Profile Descent (OPD) test flight into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) that it claims reduced emissions by 35 percent compared to a conventional landing. Satellite-based Required Navigation Performance (RNP) guidance technology enabled the aircraft to fly more efficient landing procedures that not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also noise impacts for residents in the Puget Sound region. The flight was conducted as part of the Alaska Air Group's 'Greener Skies' project along with Boeing, the FAA and the Port of Seattle. The airline is seeking approval for the procedures that could in the future be used by all RNP-equipped aircraft using the airport. Read more ...
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UK Environment Agency awards IT contract to manage compliance requirements of the Aviation EU ETS
Fri 23 July 2010 – CDC Climat, a French provider of carbon market and climate change services and solutions, and UK-based IT company SFW have been awarded a contract by the Environment Agency of England and Wales (EA) to deliver a system that will enable the agency to manage the aircraft operators it is administering under the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The application is an electronic workflow and messaging system that will allow carbon emissions monitoring, permitting, reporting and benchmarking. The system is based on a common set of requirements agreed by a number of EU member states and will be the first of its kind across the EU ETS. It will initially be used by the EA for managing its aviation requirements but it is anticipated the system will be extended to other emitting sectors. Read more ...
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British business calls for a global cap-and-trade scheme to help limit carbon emissions from international aviation
Fri 23 July 2010 – The CBI, the UK’s leading business organization, says a global cap-and-trade system is the best way for the world’s aviation industry to meet its climate obligations. It calls on member states to start laying the groundwork for establishing such a scheme at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s triennial general assembly in late September. In a new report, ‘Green skies ahead, creating a low-carbon aviation industry’, the CBI also voices concern over the new British government’s proposals to change Air Passenger Duty to a per-plane duty which, it maintains, would be ineffective, damage competitiveness and deliver little or no environmental benefit. The British Air Transport Association (BATA), the trade body representing UK-registered airlines welcomed the report’s findings. Read more ...
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Canadian programme formed to undertake camelina-sourced biofuel test flight of a Bombardier turboprop
Fri 23 July 2010 – A six-partner consortium led by crop biotechnology company Targeted Growth Canada (TGC) is to undertake a test programme using biofuel sourced from camelina oil that will culminate in a demonstration flight of a Porter Airlines Bombardier Q400 twin-turboprop aircraft planned for early 2012. TGC, Bombardier Aerospace and Porter are joined on the programme by engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada, Sustainable Oils and Honeywell’s UOP. Funding for the project is being provided by the partners as well as by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an arms-length, not-for-profit corporation created by the Canadian government, and Green Aviation Research & Development Network (GARDN). Read more ...
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UK climate advisers urge development support for aerospace industry if climate change goals are to be met
Wed 21 July 2010 - The UK Government's climate change advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), states radical technologies such as blended wing aircraft and open rotor engines will be required to help meet the country's 2050 aviation emission reduction targets. As such, public funding support for the research, development and deployment (RD&D) of these technologies, in cooperation with international partners, will be necessary. The advice comes in a report published by the CCC, 'Building a low-carbon economy - the UK's innovation challenge'. The CCC also recommends the Government sets out a strategy to secure new international agreements limiting emissions from aviation. Read more ...
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Series of A380 transatlantic green flights planned as SESAR selects 18 AIRE 2 carbon reduction projects
Thu 15 July 2010 - The European SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) has selected 18 new projects to expand the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) programme that supports flight trials and demonstrations to reduce aviation CO2 emissions from surface, terminal and oceanic flight operations. A highlight of the programme will be a series of green transatlantic flights with the Airbus A380 superjumbo involving Airbus, Air France, NATS (UK) and NAV Canada. Seven of the 18 proposals include green gate-to-gate projects, among others between France and the French West Indies. In total, some 40 partners will be involved in the 2010/11 AIRE, including 13 airlines, four airport authorities and 13 air navigation service providers (ANSPs), with the FAA and NAV Canada supporting some of the gate-to-gate projects. Read more ...
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Eurocontrol unveils Summer 2010 plan to cut flying distances and save carriers fuel and reduce emissions
Thu 15 July 2010 - Eurocontrol has released an implementation plan in time for the summer 2010 season that will lead to a reduction in flying distances for air carriers using European airspace of around 20,000 nautical miles each day by the end of the season. This will save carriers 40,000 tonnes of fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by 140,000 tonnes over a 12-month period. The plan includes 217 packages of airspace changes developed over the past year, each of which will contribute to an improved performance of European Air Traffic Management. Continuous upgrading of the route network and supporting sectorization in Europe is needed to meet the capacity and flight efficiency needs of air traffic and cater for the changing patterns of traffic flows. Read more ...
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British Airways, BAA and NATS produce the 'perfect' environmental flight from London to Edinburgh
Wed 14 July 2010 - British Airways, the UK's air navigation service provider NATS and BAA at London Heathrow and Edinburgh airports have joined together to operate what they describe as the UK's first 'perfect flight' last Saturday evening between the two cities. Every factor within the journey - from pushback from the stand, taxiing to an optimized flight profile and a continuous descent approach - was calibrated to achieve minimal emissions and delay. The Airbus A321 was also able to fly at its most fuel-efficient altitude for longer than usual. Read more ...
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Norwegian airports join carbon accreditation programme as they seek to improve environmental performance
Wed 14 July 2010 - Three Norwegian airports - Oslo Gardermoen, Trondheim Vaernes and Kristiansand Kjevik - have become the first in the country to join the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The scheme, which comprises four levels, has the long-term goal of neutralizing emissions at participating airports and 19 airports from 11 European countries have so far qualified for accreditation. Olav Mosvold Larsen, Senior Environmental Adviser for Avinor, the operator of Norway's 46 airports, says the accreditation process is demanding and involves time-consuming work on documentation. "The initial move is somewhat limited but the goal, of course, is to include more airports in the programme," he adds. Read more ...
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Initiative formed to assess viability of creating a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest
Tue 13 July 2010 - The Pacific Northwest could become a global hub for the development of aviation biofuels following the announcement of a strategic initiative by local aviation interests. Three airports - Seattle-Tacoma International, Spokane International and Portland International - as well as Alaska Airlines and Seattle-based Boeing, have agreed to fund a four-state regional assessment to look at biomass options and possible sources for creating renewable jet fuel. The six-month 'Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest' project will look at all phases of developing an aviation biofuels industry, including biomass production and harvest, refining, transport infrastructure and actual use by airlines. Camelina, grown on the Montana plains, has already been successfully trialled and shown to have promise as a viable, long-term aviation biofuel source. Read more ...
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Commission approves Eurocontrol fuel consumption tool to help small emitters comply with Aviation EU ETS
Tue 13 July 2010 - Help is at hand for small aircraft operators and those with few flights to Europe who are faced with the administrative burden of complying with the monitoring and reporting provisions required by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The European Commission has adopted a Regulation approving the use of a free-of-charge Small Emitters Tool developed by Eurocontrol that enables eligible operators to model the fuel consumption of their flights rather than requiring them to measure actual consumption of each flight. Using a simple spreadsheet, the operator enters the route length and the aircraft type, and the tool calculates fuel consumption and carbon emissions based, says Eurocontrol, on "statistically robust" fuel consumption coefficients for the majority of common aircraft types, as well as widely recognized emission factors for all other aircraft. Read more ...
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Major UK airports commit to action plan to reduce emissions and noise from aircraft ground operations
Mon 12 July 2010 - A new initiative has been launched to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft ground operations and improve local air quality and noise at major airports in the UK. The Aircraft on the Ground CO2 Reduction (AGR) Programme has been developed by BAA, the UK's largest airport operator, through the Sustainable Aviation coalition. Guidelines and practical action steps for airports, airlines, air navigation service providers and ground handling companies have been drawn up to capture best practices to cut emissions from aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs) and taxiing operations. The programme was launched at the recent Environmental Conference held by the UK Airport Operators Association (AOA). Read more ...
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For more details on the following events, click here
Aviation and Environment Summit 2010
16-17 September 2010
Geneva, Switzerland
Aviation Fuel Asia
27-28 September 2010
Singapore
Algae Biomass Summit
28-30 September 2010
Phoenix, USA
Global Performance Based Navigation Summit 2010
19-20 October 2010
Seattle, USA
The Future of Air Transport
29-30 November 2010
London, UK
Read more ...
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| Aviation carbon emissions and regulatory compliance proving a concern for aircraft financiers and insurers
Wed 9 June 2010 - The inclusion of the aviation industry within the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) from 2012 could result in a number of adverse implications and potential liabilities for the global aircraft finance and aviation insurance markets, writes Barry Moss. These include credit risk, operational risk, political risk and asset (or aircraft value) risk. For example, there is uncertainty over the potential financial liability exposure aircraft financiers and lessors may face in the event of an aircraft operator defaulting under the EU ETS. They may have to assume a bigger risk and increase their balance sheet provisioning accordingly. Aviation insurers should be concerned that emissions trading schemes could seriously add to the decline of the aviation industry and therefore demand for insurance and future premium income. Read more ...
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China's actions and stand on greenhouse gas emissions from international civil aviation
Tue 1 June 2010 - Innovation and advances in engine technology, biofuels and air traffic management are the best choices in making substantial reductions in aviation greenhouse gas emissions whilst still guaranteeing the sustainable development of the industry, writes Dr Ma Xiangshan of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). However, developed countries should assume their responsibility and take the lead in reducing emissions. Full consideration should be given to the fact that developing countries are in their own growth stage and are facing a considerable shortage in terms of finance, technology and capability. In view of this, the fuel efficiency goal agreed at ICAO will be the most appropriate measure since it focuses on both development and emissions control, and some other goals are in fact neither practical nor reasonable if they pose a hindrance to development. Read more ...
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Carbon airliner with a small footprint readied for take-off to Britain
The Independent, UK, 16 July 2010 - Shortly after 9am on Sunday, a new chapter will begin in European aviation history when flight ZA003 touches down in Hampshire and heralds the arrival of the much-anticipated – and greatly-delayed – Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the world's first airliner to be largely built from carbon fibre. The first Boeing 787 to leave American soil will arrive at the Farnborough Air Show to display what the US aviation giant insists represents a quantum leap in aircraft technology by abandoning the traditional method of building a passenger jet out of sheets of riveted aluminium. Along with a raft of innovations, the lightweight materials are claimed by Boeing to make the new plane one of the most eco-friendly ever produced, burning 20 percent less fuel than its rival equivalents. Despite a troubled history of logistical and technical problems which means it will enter service some two years behind schedule, the 787 has become the fastest-selling wide-bodied jet in history, with more than 860 on order. Read more ...
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New Mumbai airport plan pits environment against business
The Independent, UK, 15 July 2010 - India's government is expected to make a decision on whether to give the go-ahead for $1.9bn Navi Mumbai International Airport project within weeks, after a battle between developers and opponents lasting more than a decade. The fight sums up the dilemma facing modern India: what gets sacrificed in the quest for better infrastructure to cater for a rapidly expanding population - and how to deal with those who happen to be in the way. Environmentalists have taken heart at the concerns expressed by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh about upsetting the delicate ecological balance in what is officially a protected tidal wetland area. Thousands of hectares of mangrove trees and shrubs, which act as a natural buffer against the sea and coastal erosion, have been removed from around Mumbai in recent years, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Conservationist Stalin Dayanand wants other sites for the airport to be considered and he has vowed to fight any building approval through the courts. But there are signs that he could be waging a losing battle: the developers have powerful allies. Read more ...
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Aviation industry harnesses algae for biofuel
Der Spiegel, Germany, 15 July 2010 - There are plans within the aviation industry to replace kerosene with biofuel derived from algae. The new fuel comes with a surprising benefit: Planes will be able to fly farther on the same amount of fuel. German biotechnologist Otto Pulz was recently planning a test flight for a small aircraft and needed fuel. After making a number of phone calls halfway around the world, he even ordered a few hundred litres of the miraculous fluid from as far away as Argentina. This chemically refined fuel is expected to gradually replace kerosene in civil aviation. Once they had collected enough of the fuel, Pulz and his team achieved an important breakthrough last month. For the first time in history, a small aircraft, a Diamond DA42, its engines driven solely by pure algae fuel, lifted off at the International Aviation Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin. "This material will change the rules of the game in our industry," Airbus executive Christian Dumas says joyfully. Read more ...
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German air travel tax set at up to 26 euros from January 2011
Reuters, 15 July 2010 - Airlines will have to pay up to 26 euros ($33.04) per passenger under the German government's plan to impose an air travel tax to raise 1 billion euros a year, according to a draft law seen by Reuters. German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month announced the tax plan as part of 80 billion euros of budget measures, stunning the aviation industry. For shorter trips within the European Union and a number of other countries less than 2,500 kilometres away, the tax is set at 13 euros; for longer trips, at 26 euros. However, tax to be lowered from 2012 to offset emissions trading. Read more ...
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Push up cost of air travel to cut demand, say UK engineers
Daily Telegraph, UK, 14 July 2010 - The price of air travel should be increased to cut demand for flights according to the UK's leading engineers. In a report published today the Institution of Civil Engineers believes a twin-track approach is essential to safeguard the future of aviation while protecting the environment. The report calls for a minimum carbon price to make flying more expensive. The Institution has also said the Government should reconsider its policy on airport expansion, warning the decision to scrap Labour's plans for a third runway at Heathrow could cost the country dear. Read more ...
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Airplanes can punch holes in clouds and make it rain, finds study
Discovery, USA, 14 July 2010 - If you've ever been lucky enough to see a hole-punch cloud form in the afternoon sky, you'd be forgiven for thinking a UFO landed somewhere nearby. But according to a new study, the clouds form when much more pedestrian flying objects - turboprop and jet airplanes - fly through and change water droplets into ice crystals. In 2007 Andrew Heymsfield, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado was a on a research flight west of Denver International Airport when he and his team flew right below a big hole-punch cloud. When they went back and looked at footage from a ground-looking camera on the plane, they found the area directly beneath the hole had been coated in two inches of fresh snow. Heymsfield and colleagues write in a new study in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society that on average, 7.8 percent of Earth is covered in clouds ripe for 'plane seeding'. Read more ...
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Airframers step up biofuel efforts ahead of Farnborough Air Show
Flightglobal, UK, 12 July 2010 - In the run-up to Farnborough both of the major commercial airframers have launched new initiatives aimed at bringing the prospect of a low-carbon, biofuel-powered aviation industry closer to reality, amid a sharpening awareness of the urgent need for investment in fossil fuel alternatives - among governments and industry players alike. Late May brought the news that Boeing had partnered PetroChina to evaluate the potential to establish a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in China. In June, at the ILA air show in Berlin, Airbus owner EADS unveiled a hybrid eco-helicopter concept - which will be exhibited again at Farnborough - and flew an aircraft fuelled by algae-based biofuel. It has since embarked on a project that envisages a new biofuels plant in Brazil. Read more ...
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Aviation taxes in danger of pricing people out of flying, says BA's Willie Walsh
Daily Telegraph, UK, 9 July 2010 - Calling for an end to Air Passenger Duty when airlines join an EU emissions trading scheme in 2012, BA CEO Willie Walsh said: "APD on long-haul routes will have tripled or even quadrupled in four years. We are in severe danger of pricing large numbers of people out of flying." He pointed out that global airlines had collectively lost $47bn in the last decade and only been profitable in three of those years. He noted how the United Nation's climate committee had recently suggested that the global airline industry pay a $10bn tax as its contribution towards the $100bn a year promised at Copenhagen from developed to developing countries. "It has worried me for some time that aviation is being regarded by policymakers as a kind of cash machine with wings." Read more ...
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Concerns remain as new UK government holds up change from Air Passenger Duty to aircraft-based green tax
Fri 9 July 2010 - The new UK coalition government's backtrack on an initial commitment to change Air Passenger Duty (APD) to a greener per-plane duty (PPD) and instead initiate a consultation process has been largely welcomed by concerned aviation industry representatives but greeted with suspicion by environmentalists, who favour a switch. A number of airlines and airports remain alarmed that a PPD could have a detrimental impact on regional flights and airports. According to The Sunday Times, the proposed tax could also spark a diplomatic row with the United States, which voiced its opposition to similar plans mooted in 2008 by the previous UK government. Meanwhile, the UK's Transport Secretary has announced the setting up of a new group to consider how to make best use of existing airport capacity in the South-East since it scrapped on environmental grounds proposals for new London runways. Read more ...
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AFRA comes up with ambitious target to improve recyclability rate of the global end-of-service aircraft fleet
Fri 9 July 2010 - The aircraft recycling industry is targeting a 90 percent recyclability of the end-of-service global fleet by 2016, announced Boeing's Director for Airplane Environmental Performance, Jeanne Yu, at last week's annual meeting of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) in Las Vegas. AFRA members currently undertake the recycling of around 150 commercial aircraft a year, representing a third of aircraft scrapped around the world. However, more than 12,000 aircraft are expected to reach the end of their service life over the next 20 years as airlines upgrade their fleets to more fuel-efficient aircraft, providing both opportunities and challenges to the fledgling sector. Another target is to reduce the amount of aircraft manufacturing waste sent to landfills by 25 percent by 2012. Read more ...
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Perpetual fossil fuel-free flight nears reality as Solar Impulse completes first-ever solar powered night flight
Thu 8 July 2010 - The solar-powered Solar Impulse has made the longest and highest ever flight of its kind, touching down at its Payerne, Switzerland airfield base this morning after flying for more than 26 hours. Taking off early yesterday morning, the plane's 12,000 solar cells stored enough energy to keep it flying through the night before touching down at 9am local time this morning. It is an important milestone for an eventual transatlantic crossing and round-the-world flight on a second prototype to be built this summer. Solar power is unlikely to find its way into commercial airliner operations in the foreseeable future but as the project's founder Bertrand Piccard points out, the flight is a symbolic achievement on the path towards a carbon-free aviation industry. Read more ...
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Could the exhaust from jet engines provide wind power to generate free electricity for airports?
Wed 7 July 2010 - A US industrial designer believes he has come up with a novel concept that harnesses the jet exhaust from aircraft waiting to take off to create freely available wind-generated electrical power for airports. With around 35,000 jet aircraft taking off at over 900 commercial airports daily, Phoenix-based Richard Hales says there is an airliner taking flight every 90 seconds at hundreds of commercial airports throughout the United States. Hales' FreeWind generator units would be sited in the vicinity of blast fences positioned at almost all airports to defuse jet engine exhaust that can reach 300mph. Without the necessary financial and engineering resources of his own, he is looking for an investor so that a prototype can be constructed and tested in a real-life situation. Read more ...
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Small errors in emissions data monitoring could cost Aviation EU ETS operators over one million euros
Tue 6 July 2010 - Inaccuracies or errors in monitoring emissions data could lead to aircraft operators entering the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) paying more than they should for emissions and getting less than their entitlement in carbon credits, says ETS Aviation, a specialist in MRV software and support services. Even a small airline with a fleet of six aircraft emitting 150,000 tonnes of CO2 a year could lose up to one million euros ($1.25m) over the 2012-2020 reporting cycle for a one to two percent error in monitoring emissions data, calculates the company. Meanwhile, leading accredited EU ETS verifier CICS is warning that many operators still have much work to do to meet deadlines and has released a 'white paper' to provide a resource on verification issues. Read more ...
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FAA awards contracts to manufacturers to help accelerate pace of aircraft environmental performance improvements
Mon 5 July 2010 - Around $250 million will be spent over the next five years in a series of contracts awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help develop and demonstrate technologies to reduce commercial aircraft jet fuel consumption, emissions and noise. The contracts are part of the FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) programme and have been signed with Boeing and engine manufacturers GE Aviation, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce North America. The goal of the programme is to achieve a reduction in fuel burn by 33 percent, a reduction in NOx emissions by 60 percent and a reduction in cumulative aircraft noise levels by 32 decibels through technologies that could be introduced into aircraft from 2015. Read more ...
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New Zealand airlines become the first in the world to operate under a mandatory national carbon ETS
Fri 2 July 2010 - The first major carbon emissions trading scheme to affect airlines started in New Zealand yesterday and is expected to add around three New Zealand cents (two US cents) to a litre of jet fuel. Unlike the European model, which starts in 2012, emissions obligations under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) are accounted for 'upstream' so fuel suppliers bear the responsibility for compliance and they in turn pass the costs on to the user. However, a large fuel user, such as an airline, can voluntarily 'opt-in' to the scheme and take on the responsibilities for carbon emissions accounting. Of the three major airlines operating in the country - Air New Zealand, Jetstar and Pacific Blue - only the former has decided to shoulder the obligations and liabilities from the beginning. The scheme applies only to domestic air travel and jet fuel used on international flights is exempted. Read more ...
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Stockholm and Izmir airports joint winners of new eco award as Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme completes first year
Mon 28 June 2010 - Stockholm Arlanda and Turkey's Izmir Adnan Menderes International airports have been jointly presented with the inaugural Eco-Innovation Award at the ACI Europe Annual Congress. It was awarded by the independent Advisory Board of Airport Carbon Accreditation, a programme launched a year ago, and recognizes outstanding environmental performance and an innovative approach to environmental management. So far, 19 airports across Europe have achieved Airport Carbon Accredited status, although over 30 airports applied for accreditation when the industry initiative was launched a year ago. ACI Europe reports that reductions of over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been saved during the first year as a result. Read more ...
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Greenhouse gas emissions down in 2009 but overall fuel efficiency fails to improve at American Airlines
Thu 24 June 2010 - Combined jet fuel related greenhouse gas emissions at American Airlines and its affiliate American Eagle fell by 7.1 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, reports the second annual Corporate Responsibility Report just published by parent company AMR. However, fuel efficiency across passenger and cargo operations expressed in metric tonnes of CO2e per 1,000 revenue ton miles (RTMs) decreased slightly last year. The amount of carbon emissions per RTM flown in 2009 increased from 1.80 CO2e per 1,000 RTMs to 1.82 CO2e per 1,000 RTMs, which is blamed on a heavy fall in cargo carried. On the positive side, American's Fuel Smart programme saved over 100 million gallons of fuel in 2009 through ongoing initiatives. Read more ...
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Portal launched to help businesses simply measure and offset carbon emissions of staff flights
Mon 21 June 2010 - A new automated carbon measurement and offsetting portal has been launched by Australia-based Climate Friendly that is designed to be a simple tool for businesses worldwide to manage and offset their staff flight emissions. Called FlightPortal, it is designed specifically to link the global corporate travel sector to the global clean energy sector, and is available from a network of the world's leading travel management companies. According to the company, thousands of tonnes of CO2 have already been offset through FlightPortal by clients supporting projects spanning wind, geothermal, sustainable biomass and micro hydro across Europe, Asia and the Pacific region. Customers include the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Macquarie Group and WWF. Read more ...
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Lufthansa Group's 50 new replacement aircraft contribute to 2009 overall fall in specific fuel consumption
Mon 21 June 2010 - Specific fuel consumption across the Lufthansa Group declined last year to 4.30 litres of kerosene per 100 passenger kilometres compared to 4.34 in 2008. The Group has set a target to reduce the specific fuel consumption, and therefore CO2 emissions, by 25 percent by 2020 compared to the 2006 level of 4.38. This will be helped by the largest fleet modernization programme so far undertaken in which a total of 146 new aircraft list priced at more than 13 billion euros are due to go into operation over the next six years. A further contribution is expected from the use of blended synthetic fuels, based on biomass, making up 5 to 10 percent of total fuel usage by 2020. Details of the Group's Strategic Environmental Program are contained its 2010 sustainability report, Balance, just published. Read more ...
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EADS undertakes first aircraft flight powered by algae-derived biofuel and signs Brazilian production venture
Thu 17 June 2010 - The first public flights of an aircraft with an engine fully powered by algae-derived biofuel took place last week during the ILA Air Show in Berlin. The demonstration flights of a twin-engined Diamond DA42 NG light aircraft was undertaken as part of an ongoing project led by EADS Innovation Works, the research and technology arm of European aerospace manufacturer EADS. Due to the higher energy content of the algae biofuel, with the flight tests involving one engine using 100 percent biofuel and the other conventional jet kerosene, showed that fuel consumption of the biofuel is 1.5 litres per hour lower, equivalent to fuel savings of 5-10 percent. During the air show, EADS, its helicopter division Eurocopter and Argentina-based Biocombustibles del Chubut, which supplied the algae biofuel for the flights, signed a cooperative agreement to evaluate the creation of an aviation biofuel production facility in Brazil. Read more ...
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Coalition of US environmental NGOs files suit against EPA over failure to regulate aircraft emissions
Tue 15 June 2010 - A coalition of US environmental groups has filed a lawsuit challenging a perceived failure by the US Environmental Protection Agency to address pollution from aircraft, ocean-going ships and non-road vehicles and engines. The move came a day after the US Senate voted to uphold the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was filed in the federal district court in the District of Columbia by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of Oceana, Friends of the Earth, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety and the International Center for Technology Assessment. Read more ...
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Airline industry's first-ever carbon footprint assessment carried out on North American regional carriers
Mon 14 June 2010 - Sustainability measurement and environmental risk management company EQ2 has conducted the first-ever airline industry carbon and environmental footprint assessment in conjunction with the Regional Airline Association (RAA). Using EQ2's web-based Evolution sustainability management system, seven participating RAA members, representing 52 percent of the US regional fleet, collected data on their fuel, electricity, water usage and waste generation. A report was submitted to the RAA Environmental Committee Meeting held during the recent RAA Annual Convention that is aimed at helping airline members gain a direct insight into issues they face and provide an understanding on how they can improve their environmental performance. Read more ...
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Finnair becomes first to order fuel and emissions saving Sharklet-fitted extended-range Airbus A321
Mon 14 June 2010 - Finnair has said it will order five new Airbus A321ER aircraft fitted with the Airbus-designed Sharklet wingtips to replace Boeing 757 aircraft used on leisure flights. With a range of 5,000 kilometres, the extended-range narrowbody aircraft will be capable of direct flights from, for example, Finland to the Canary Islands. The Sharklet devices are designed to enhance the eco-efficiency and payload range performance of the A320 Family, with an expected 3.5 percent reduction in fuel burn over longer sectors. This corresponds to an annual CO2 reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft, although Finnair is looking for savings closer to 4 percent. Last November, Air New Zealand became the launch customer for the Sharklets when it takes delivery of new A320 aircraft around the end of 2012. Read more ...
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NASA seeks proposals for research studies into green aircraft concepts that can halve carbon emissions
Fri 11 June 2010 - NASA is soliciting proposals for studies designed to identify advanced concepts that will enable commercial airliners to fly more economically, quieter and cleaner by 2025. Concepts must incorporate technologies enabling large, twin-aisle passenger aircraft to achieve ambitious environmental goals that include 50 percent less fuel consumption and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions compared with today's airliners and around 80 percent reduction in the nuisance noise footprint around airports. The total value of the research contracts is $36.6 million, with proposals due by July 15. Read more ...
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IATA says airlines will have to invest $1.3 trillion in new aircraft to meet fuel efficiency targets
Fri 11 June 2010 - IATA says airlines will collectively have to save an additional 728 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next 10 years if the industry is to make its 1.5 percent annual fuel efficiency improvement target by 2020. This is predicated, says IATA's Director of Aviation Environment, Paul Steele, on airlines spending $1.3 trillion on purchasing 12,000 new, more fuel-efficient aircraft. IATA foresees passenger numbers reaching 16 billion by 2050 compared to just over two billion now but remains committed to halving the industry's net aviation emissions by the same time. To monitor progress against the goals, the IATA Board at its AGM in Berlin this week agreed to mandate all member airlines to annually report on fuel consumption and carbon offsetting activities. Read more ...
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Lufthansa CEO calls for Aviation EU ETS to be postponed for a year because of ash cloud distortions
Thu 10 June 2010 - Speaking to journalists at the IATA AGM in Berlin this week, Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber called for the postponement of the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), due to start in 2012, for a year because of the market distortions caused by the grounding of aircraft due to the volcanic ash cloud in April. As the main impact was felt in Northern Europe and Scandinavia, airlines in these regions would be adversely affected in the allocation of free emissions permits as 2010 is the benchmarking year for the calculation. The Association of European Airlines has reacted angrily to European Commission suggestions that the effect would be very small. Meanwhile, Chinese airlines have joined their US counterparts in attacking the inclusion of international airlines into the EU ETS. Read more ...
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German air passenger departure tax linked to environmental performance draws airline protests
Wed 9 June 2010 - The German government is to introduce a departure tax on all passengers departing German airports until the introduction of airlines into the Aviation EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012. The tax is aimed at raising 1 billion euros ($1.2bn) annually and although details are still to be released it is expected to add around 8-16 euros per ticket. In a statement, the government said the tax would be based on factors such as the flight's noise level and fuel consumption. IATA branded the tax a "cash grab" and inappropriate at a time of economic hardship for European airlines. Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber said the tax raised would exceed the total annual collective earnings of all German airlines. Read more ...
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United Airlines marks World Environment Day with 'Green Corridor' transatlantic flights
Fri 4 June 2010 - United Airlines is to operate a return transatlantic between Frankfurt and Chicago tomorrow (June 5) which will use state-of-the-art flight planning to reduce the carbon emissions of the flights by around three percent compared to normal operations on the route. The commercial flights, using a Boeing 777, will coincide with the United Nations-designated World Environment Day. The airline expects to save nearly 2,900kg of fuel and around 9,000kg of CO2 emissions on what it describes as the 'Green Corridor' demonstration flights. United will use a flight planning system to compute optimum routing, altitudes and speeds based on winds and aircraft performance capabilities, as well as fuel-saving measures on the ground. Read more ...
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More ambitious carbon targets and further consideration of economic measures highlighted at ICAO Colloquium
Thu 3 June 2010 - Early action, more ambitious goals on reducing international aviation CO2 emissions, help for developing countries and a global framework on market-based measures were called for at the recent ICAO Colloquium on Aviation and Climate Change held in Montreal. The triennial conference was held as ICAO prepares for its 37th Assembly at the end of September and is actively seeking consensus on key issues to put before Member States ahead of the COP-16 climate talks in December. A raft of presentations from States, industry, scientists and financial institutions covering mitigation and adaptation, aviation biofuels, financing and economic measures were heard over the three days. ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh González told delegates that only through consensus building and global cooperation could international aviation be environmentally sustainable. Read more ...
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Etihad Airways extends partnership with Masdar in carbon credit purchasing for offset programme
Tue 1 June 2010 - Etihad Airways has signed a service agreement with Masdar, the Abu Dhabi multi-billion dollar renewable and future energy initiative, to purchase carbon credits for the airline's voluntary offset programme. Masdar's carbon management team will help in sourcing and retiring high-quality carbon credits from projects such as alternative energy programmes and energy efficiency projects. Details of the airline's offset programme are still to be decided but initially it is likely only to include staff travel, although Etihad is considering the introduction of a passenger carbon offset scheme at a future date. Read more ...
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BEIJING (Reuters) - As many as 60,000 metric tons of heavy crude oil could have been spilled into China's northeast coastal waters as a result of an explosion that rocked the port of Dalian on July 16, Greenpeace said on Friday. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 8:47 am CDT
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LONDON (Reuters) - A United Nations climate panel will ask a sub-panel to investigate further claims that a Kyoto Protocol scheme may be incentivizing participants to emit more greenhouse gases, environmental groups said on Friday. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 7:43 am CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives began debating legislation on Friday to reform the oil industry's offshore drilling practices in response to the BP oil spill. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 10:10 am CDT
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BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) - More than 2,000 miles from the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, a panel of U.S. judges heard arguments from lawyers on Thursday on how piles of oil spill-related lawsuits against BP Plc should be merged. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 10:24 am CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The risk of earthquakes in the U.S. Midwest may be more widespread than geologists have believed, but a "big one" may be less likely at Missouri's New Madrid fault, researchers said on Wednesday. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 7:01 am CDT
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A dead whale was discovered pinned to the bow of a Princess Cruises luxury liner near Juneau, the third such incident involving the company's Alaska fleet in a decade, officials said on Thursday. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 1:55 am CDT
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MASLOVKA, Russia (Reuters) - Forest fires sweeping across European Russia on Friday killed at least 25 people and forced the evacuation of thousands in the hottest weather since records began 130 years ago. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 10:34 am CDT
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - T.Boone Pickens' proposal to run more U.S. vehicles on natural gas got a boost in Congress this week, but the energy billionaire must wait a few years before profiting from any investments linked to the plan. Posted Friday, July 30, 2010 11:34 am CDT
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday rejected 10 petitions challenging EPA's 2009 finding that climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health and the environment. Posted Thursday, July 29, 2010 3:33 pm CDT
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DETROIT (Reuters) - Oil spilled from a pipeline in Michigan does not present a threat to the Great Lakes and the spill has been contained on a river about 50 miles inland from Lake Michigan, federal officials said on Thursday. Posted Thursday, July 29, 2010 5:58 pm CDT
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