future of sustainable air travel

Opportunities for industry leaders as new travelers take to the skies

Travel fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic—airline revenues dropped by 60 percent in 2020, and air travel and tourism are not expected to return to 2019 levels before 2024. 1 “ Back to the future? Airline sector poised for change post-COVID-19 ,” McKinsey, April 2, 2021; “ What will it take to go from ‘travel shock’ to surge? ” McKinsey, November 23, 2021. While this downturn is worrisome, it is likely to be temporary. McKinsey’s latest survey of more than 5,500 air travelers around the world shows that the aviation industry faces an even bigger challenge: sustainability.

The survey results indicate emerging trends in passenger priorities:

About the survey

We asked about 5,500 people in 13 countries, half of them women, to answer 36 questions in July 2021. Each had taken one or more flights in the previous 12 months. More than 25 percent took at least half of their flights for business reasons; 5 percent had taken more than eight flights in the previous 24 months. They ranged in age from 18 to over 75 and hailed from the US and Canada, the UK, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, Australia, and Brazil.

Topics included concerns about climate change and carbon emissions, carbon reduction measures, and factors influencing tourism stays and activities.

We compared the results to those of a survey asking the same questions that we conducted in July 2019.

• Most passengers understand that aviation has a significant impact on the environment. Emissions are now the top concern of respondents in 11 of the 13 countries polled, up from four in the 2019 survey. More than half of respondents said they’re “really worried” about climate change, and that aviation should become carbon neutral in the future.
• Travelers continue to prioritize price and connections over sustainability in booking decisions, for now. This may be partly because no airline has built a business system or brand promise on sustainability. Also, some consumers may currently be less concerned about their own impact because they’re flying less frequently in the pandemic. That said, almost 40 percent of travelers globally are now willing to pay at least two percent more for carbon-neutral tickets, or about $20 for a $1,000 round-trip, and 36 percent plan to fly less to reduce their climate impact.
• Attitudes and preferences vary widely among countries and customer segments. Around 60 percent of travelers in Spain are willing to pay more for carbon-neutral flights, for example, compared to nine percent in India and two percent in Japan.

This article outlines steps that airlines, airports, and their suppliers could take to respond to changing attitudes and preferences. The survey findings suggest that airlines may need to begin with gaining a deeper understanding of changes across heterogenous customer segments and geographies. With those insights in hand, they could tailor their communications, products, and services to differentiate their brands, build awareness among each passenger segment, and better connect with customers.

Would you like to learn more about our Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure Practice ?

The survey findings point to fundamental and ongoing changes in consumer behavior.

After a decade of steady growth in passenger traffic, air travel was hit hard by the pandemic. International air travel immediately fell by almost 100 percent, and overall bookings declined by more than 60 percent for 2020, according to Airports Council International. At the time of writing, revenue passenger miles have returned to close to pre-pandemic levels in the United States, but still lag behind in other markets. 2 “COVID-19: October 2021 traffic data,” International Air Transport Association (IATA), December 8, 2021. In its October 2021 report, before the Omicron variant emerged, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecast that the industry’s losses would be around $52 billion in 2021 and $12 billion in 2022. 3 “Economic performance of the airline industry,” IATA, October 4, 2021.

Furthermore, travelers’ preferences and behaviors have changed sharply during the pandemic, particularly around health and safety requirements. An Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum found that, on average, three in four adults across 28 countries agreed that COVID-19 vaccine passports should be required of travelers to enter their country and that they would be effective in making travel and large events safe. 4 “Global public backs COVID-19 vaccine passports for international travel,” Ipsos, April 28, 2021. And a 2021 survey by Expedia Group found that people buying plane tickets now care more about health, safety, and flexibility than previously. But, there is also renewed interest in travel as nearly one in five travelers expected travel to be the thing they spent the most on in 2021, one in three had larger travel budgets for the year, and many were looking for new experiences such as once-in-a-lifetime trips. 5 “New research: How travelers are making decisions for the second half of 2021,” Skift, August 26, 2021.

Comparing McKinsey’s 2019 and 2021 survey results, sustainability remains a priority as respondents show similar levels of concern about climate change, continue to believe that aviation must become carbon neutral, and want their governments to step in to reduce airline emissions. Some changes were more striking. The share of respondents who say they plan to fly less to minimize their environmental impact rose five percentage points to 36 percent. In 2021 half of all respondents said they want to fly less after the pandemic. Changes in opinion varied across markets. Passengers in the UK, US, and Saudi Arabia, for example, were more likely to feel “flygskam,” (shame about flying) while those in Spain, Poland, and Australia felt significantly less guilty about flying.

It is worth tracking these trends in each market and demographic, because passengers’ experiences and opinions are increasingly relevant: passengers spend far more time online, increasingly trust each other’s recommendations more than traditional marketing, and can reshape brand perceptions faster than ever. 6 “ Understanding the ever-evolving, always-surprising consumer ,” McKinsey, August 31, 2021. In some markets consumers may reward airlines that meet rising demands for environmental sustainability—and punish those who fall behind.

The Australian airline Qantas may be acting on a similar belief. In November 2021, it announced a new “green tier” in its loyalty program. The initiative, based on feedback from passengers, is “designed to encourage, and recognize the airline’s 13 million frequent flyers for doing things like offsetting their flights, staying in eco-hotels, walking to work, and installing solar panels at home”. Qantas states that it is one of the largest private-sector buyers of Australian carbon credits, and it will use program funds to support more conservation and environmental projects. 7 “Qantas frequent flyers to be rewarded for being sustainable,” Qantas media release, November 26,, 2021. “A look at how people around the world view climate change,” Pew Research April 18, 2019. Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation climate change survey, July 9 to August 5, 2019.

Given these shifting trends, it may be helpful for all industry stakeholders to maintain a deep and up-to-date understanding of consumer segments in each market that they serve. Three main findings about today’s travelers emerged from the 2021 survey:

Finding 1: Most travelers now have concerns about climate change and carbon emissions—and many are prepared to act on these concerns

Concern about carbon emissions from aviation did not rise much during the pandemic, probably in part because air travel declined so sharply. About 56 percent of respondents said they were worried about climate change, and 54 percent said aviation should “definitely become carbon neutral” in the future.

While these numbers have increased only one or two percentage points since 2019, the share of respondents who rank CO 2 emissions as their top concern about aviation—ahead of concerns such as noise pollution and mass tourism—rose by nine percentage points to 34 percent. More than 30 percent of respondents have paid to offset their CO2 emissions from air travel.

Finding 2: Price and connections still matter much more than emissions to most travelers

Of the nine major factors travelers consider when booking a flight, carbon emissions consistently rank as sixth-most important across customer segments. This may be partly because most airline marketing centers around low cost or superior service, and pricing and revenue management are targeted at price and best connection. Most booking websites allow prospective travelers to sort by price and number of connections, for example, but not by carbon footprint. Google Flights has made a first step, showing average CO2 emissions per flight and improving transparency for travelers.

Travelers might begin to make different choices if emissions featured more prominently in the booking process—particularly if more airlines offered CO 2 reduction measures that delivered genuine environmental impact.

Finding 3: Attitudes vary widely by demographics and geography

Beliefs about the seriousness of climate change, and how to respond to it, vary across demographics and geographies (exhibit). Although younger people are generally more aware of the predicted consequences of climate change, older cohorts have become more concerned about climate change since the 2019 survey. In some countries, large majorities see climate change as a major threat, while that represents a minority view in other countries.

The survey shows that frequent travelers feel slightly more shame about flying than other respondents—37 percent compared to 30 percent—but show a much lower intention to reduce their air travel to minimize their climate impact, at 19 percent compared to 38 percent.

According to Pew Research, more than 80 percent of people in Greece, Spain, France, and South Korea believe climate change is a major threat, compared to around 40 percent of those in Russia, Nigeria, and Israel. 8 “A look at how people around the world view climate change,” Pew Research April 18, 2019. According to 2019 polling by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation, more than three-quarters of Americans believe it represents a major problem or a crisis—but fewer than half are willing to pay to help address it. 9 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation climate change survey, July 9 to August 5, 2019.

These numbers may change quickly in the next few years as discussions about climate change become less abstract as oceans rise and storms, forest fires, and droughts become more severe. Instead of being one topic of concern among many, millions more people around the world may come to see climate change as today’s greatest challenge.

This shift seems to be apparent in government action, especially in mature economies. The US, for example, announced its intention to exit the Paris Agreement in June 2017 but pledged to rejoin in April 2021. 10 “Climate change: US formally withdraws from Paris agreement,” BBC, November 4, 2020; “President Biden sets 2030 greenhouse gas pollution reduction target,” White House fact sheet, April 22, 2021. And in September, the White House set a goal for the country to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aircraft fuel annually by 2030—up from about 4.5 million gallons produced in the US in 2020—which would cut carbon emissions from flying by 20 percent compared with taking no action. 11 “Biden administration advances the future of sustainable fuels in American aviation,” White House fact sheet, September 9, 2021.

Taking stock of the pandemic’s impact on global aviation

How the industry can be cleared for takeoff.

Travelers’ attitudes and behaviors appear to be in flux, and will likely continue to change. Depending on the world’s progress in preventing and treating COVID-19, the industry will likely take at least a couple of years to recover from the downdrafts caused by the pandemic.

In this unique moment in aviation history, airlines may be able to communicate in new ways to inspire passengers to join the fight against climate change. Based on McKinsey’s experience in aviation and other industries around the world, there may be an opportunity for carriers to make it “easy to do good”. When following such an approach, experience shows that customers are drawn to straightforward language, demonstrations of what the industry is doing in this area, and the tangible benefits of those efforts. The most compelling stories are positive and connect with customers’ emotional needs.

As in the early days of travel advertising, airlines could reinforce the idea that the journey is the destination—that “getting there is half the fun.” By inviting customers to get involved in creating a greener future and own the solution, they could forge new partnerships and deepen loyalty.

Actual progress will be essential; organizations that talk about sustainability without demonstrating action may quickly be held to account. Simply keeping pace with trends or regulatory requirements will offer no advantages. Airlines that move boldly, such as by replacing rather than modifying a loyalty program with some kind of “planet-positive” scheme, will stand out from competitors.

The survey results and McKinsey’s work in the industry lead us to believe that the market is ready for a forward-thinking airline to chart a route to a cleaner future for the industry. Leading airlines that build a business strategy and brand promise on sustainability will likely attract a growing share of business and leisure travelers, fresh capital and talent, and new allies across the industry, government, and society at large.

In the years ahead, more customers will be willing to pay for sustainability, particularly if airlines can engage them with interesting approaches, such as gamification in frequent flyer programs, opt-out rather than opt-in offsets, “green fast lanes” for check-ins and security control, and customized emission-reduction offers. Decarbonization could become the standard to reach and maintain next-tier levels in loyalty programs. Passengers will be able to join the global decarbonization team and transform flight shame into flight pride.

Like many private flyers, corporate customers will look for ways to mitigate their CO 2 footprint. Passenger and cargo airlines could craft attractive decarbonization programs to engage the rising numbers of corporates aiming to significantly reduce their scope 3 emissions from air transport.

No single set of approaches will be effective in every geography or with every passenger segment. But airlines with a deep understanding of their customers’ changing needs and desires will continue to outperform those that don’t. Such organizations could recruit more of their passengers to the decarbonization team while protecting their brands, the future of aviation, and the planet itself.

Mishal Ahmad is a manager in McKinsey’s New Jersey office, Frederik Franz is a senior associate in the Berlin office, Tomas Nauclér is a senior partner the Stockholm office, and Daniel Riefer is an associate partner in the Munich office.

The authors would like to thank Joost Krämer for his contributions to this article.

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Can Aviation Ever Be Sustainable?

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Introducing the Future of Travel column, a monthly series exploring the innovations and bold ideas moving travel forward.

To be a traveler today means moving through a world in dramatic transformation . The key issues regarding what's next for the industry align with the most compelling issues of our time—the worsening climate crisis, social inequities, and emerging technologies. It’s both thrilling and alarming to try and keep up with such rapid changes, and to understand our place within them.

But a lot of writing about the future is, well, wrong. (Easy to say in retrospect.) Humanity loves to make outlandish predictions. Most recently, Elon Musk—a king of stating proclamations that never come true— said that “by 2020 there will be serious plans to go to Mars with people.” The rhetoric too often plays into the hype of emerging ideas, which are often disconnected from reality, and fails to ask critical questions like, whose future are we really talking about? And are the innovations even possible?

In this new series, we’re looking for clear answers. That’s why we’ll be tapping a diverse range of experts, activists, and industry insiders (as well as outsiders) actively shaping the travel space, starting with one of the biggest challenges of them all: Can innovations in air travel tackle aviation’s ongoing climate impacts?

Estimated to make up around  3.5 percent of all human-caused climate impacts , aviation’s share of emissions is especially significant given how few people on the planet currently fly (best estimates suggest  80 percent of the world’s population has never flown .) And for those who do, climate anxiety is increasingly top of mind: 56 percent of travelers surveyed by McKinsey in 2022 said that they’re  “really worried” about the industry’s climate impacts .

In Sweden, a string of words have been coined to describe these concerns in recent years. There’s the widely publicized flygskam  (flight shame), which leads some to  smygflyga (flying in secret) and others to  tagskryt (bragging about rail over air travel). All have been largely popularized by the “flight free” movement: a relatively small number of people who have vowed to give up flying for one year (the non-profit  We Stay On The Ground has yet to reach its target of 100,000 pledges.) But its rhetoric does sway international   conversations about aviation's future.

“We in the flight-free movement are not against air travel per se, but the high emissions it causes,” says We Stay On The Ground’s president Maja Rosén, who gave up flying in 2008. “It would be great if it were possible to fly sustainably in the future.”

As a  growing number of passengers are once again taking to the skies, the climate clock is ticking . But how close—or realistic—is a sustainable future for flying?

Rocket engines on planes and Teslas in the sky

“All projections show that the share of emissions from aviation will grow dramatically,” says  Rafael Palacios , professor in the department of aeronautics at Imperial College London and interim director of  Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation . That is, he says, “unless there are radical changes.”

In the near term, some innovations are already promising marginal improvements including artificial intelligence (AI) assisted navigation systems, which can help identify ways to reduce the need for burning jet fuel; design developments like folding wingtips to expand wingspan, as seen on the recently launched  Boeing 777x ; and modifying flight routes to avoid  contrails , responsible for the majority of aviation’s non-CO2 warming impacts.

But the kinds of “radical changes” needed to significantly move the needle remain a work in progress.

To visualize a few possible solutions, imagine rocket engines on planes, Tesla-inspired aircraft, or some hybrid of both. These propositions require inventing or scaling alternative propulsion systems—essentially, new ways to power airplanes without conventional jet fuel.

The leading technology here is hydrogen powered engines. “This is already done in space rockets, so it’s a solution that already exists. But it’s also difficult to put in an airplane,” says Palacios. There’s also the growing field of electric powered plane concepts such as Sweden-based start-up  Heart Aerospace , with airlines including  Air Canada and  United planning to fly its electric planes on short domestic routes.

Airbus has bet big on  hybrid hydrogen aircraft , announcing  three futuristic ZEROe aircraft concepts , including one trippy, funhouse mirror-looking plane called the “ Blended Wing Body .” The aerospace company ambitiously aims to have a mature hybrid hydrogen aircraft ready for commercial flights within the next two decades.

Hydrogen, electric, and hybrid aircraft could play a crucial role in decarbonizing short- and mid-haul flights, says Jo Dardenne, director of aviation at the nongovernmental organization  Transport & Environment . Think Hawaiian island hopping and intercity flights within European countries.

But many experts believe these new concepts hit big snags when it comes to long haul flights due to their limited flight ranges and the weight of today’s batteries. A major setback considering that flights over six hours are those responsible for the  majority of aviation emissions .

“You’ll never be able to fly from Paris to New York in the next 30 years with a hydrogen plane or an electric plane. The ranges are just too far,” says Dardenne. “We can’t forget the bigger picture, which is we need solutions for long-haul flights.” And the controversial carbon offsetting , which she calls “the biggest climate scam,” is not going to bridge the gap. “You can’t rely on offsets to clear your climate bills.”

The challenge: long-haul flights without fossil fuels

That’s why many experts believe a second scenario is more scalable, though a little less science fiction. Here the focus is on developing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that can power existing airplane engines. Palacios describes this as the “ideal solution,” as it could address the challenges of long-haul flights while sticking to the basic mechanics of how airplanes safely operate now.

Much of the industry has recently coalesced around SAF as the best shot for reducing emissions, says Nicolas Jammes, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade organization representing the world’s airlines. It’s central to airlines’ target to achieve “ net zero carbon by 2050 .”

“It is the only reliable avenue to decarbonize the sector without disrupting the air connectivity that drives the global economy,” says Jammes.

These fuels are already being phased in, with more than 50 airlines working with SAF to some degree. More than  450,000 flights have already taken off with some percentage of SAF blend. Last year, regional Swedish airline BRA became the  first to test a flight using 100 percent SAF powering both its engines, according to SAF supplier Neste. And production has increased, up 200 percent from 2021 to 2022, per IATA estimates.

But a key challenge is ensuring that “the right kind” of these fuels are invested in, says Dardenne. “Not all SAF are created equal.” Transport & Environment, a leading European nonprofit advocating for cleaner transportation, is currently advocating against the use of “biofuels” that come from crops, which scientists say adds pressure to global food supplies and  leads to deforestation . Instead, what’s known as “synthetic” or “e-fuels” are seen as better options as they can be produced artificially through an energy intensive process of combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide.

KLM operated its  first flight using synthetic fuel on a 2021 flight between Amsterdam and Madrid, and other airlines have begun blending these preferred synthetic fuels with conventional jet fuel. The current barrier to scaling further is cost, as these fuels are currently exceptionally expensive to produce.

Accelerating the pace of change

We’re at a tipping point. According to Dardenne, governments have the power to “ban, mandate, finance” the solutions around alternative fuels and other promising technologies. Recent government actions have aimed to support the production of SAF. The European Union is currently finalizing plans to gradually mandate SAF . And in the U.S., the Biden administration has announced a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge as well as other investments and tax incentives to boost domestic SAF production.

If the next several decades see continued and accelerated investments in these innovations and other technological breakthroughs, it seems likely aviation will address many of its worst climate impacts. “In 50 years, we will still be flying, and it will be sustainable,” says Palacios. “But we’re in a fast-moving environment.”

Until then, flight free activists will remain on the ground. “The only way to fly sustainably here and now is not to fly at all,” says Rosén. “It is now that we must drastically reduce emissions.”

Perhaps by the time emerging technologies are ready to take off, there will be a new Swedish word for the patience that comes with waiting for sustainable innovations.

For more on the future of travel, click here , and keep an eye out for this column each month, the next publishing February 28.

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How to travel better: a beginner's guide to sustainable travel in 2023 and beyond

Sustainable, green, responsible — planet-friendly ways to explore the world are more popular than ever but how do you start to make better decisions when you travel? The first step is to understand what sustainable travel is and why it’s important.

What’s sustainable travel? Sustainable travel is about travelling in a way that’s sensitive to the climate and nature emergencies while ensuring that the wellbeing of the places we visit gain long-term benefit from us travelling there. It’s a balancing act between maximising the positives of travel while reducing or eliminating the negatives.

What’s happening and why? The concentration of carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere is well over 400 parts per million higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years — and it’s still increasing, causing global temperatures to rise. The consensus is that a rise of just 1.5C will cause dangerous warming of the planet. The stability of our world’s climate hinges on whether we can keep this small rise in global temperatures in check and time’s running out. This is the decade that counts.

How does this impact the natural world? Commensurate with the climate crisis is the nature emergency: worldwide, 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction due to the intensification of agriculture and forestry, resource extraction, hunting, invasive species, urban sprawl, pollution and climate change. Yet, this is not just about the disappearance of remote rainforests or polar bears at the extremities of the planet – habitat and biodiversity loss are happening on a colossal scale in the UK, to our hedgerows and forests, our garden birds, and the fish in our seas.

What can you do about it? Being a sustainable traveller is not about making grand, one-off gestures, it’s a state of mind, an ongoing attitude to conscious adventure that influences all aspects of how we holiday, including what we pack in our luggage and how we travel out to destinations, as well as the choice of hotels and activities we take part in while we’re there.

How do I even get started? To begin with, consider packing less: travelling lighter will reduce the chances of having to dispose of items; it makes it much easier to travel around, especially on foot, by bike or on public transport; and it’s more fuel efficient — especially noticeable if you’re travelling in an electric car. A useful device for packing economically is to consider the three Rs: Reduce: What can I get away with not taking; are there items that can double up for several uses? Reuse: What can I take that I can reuse over and over again? Recycle: What can I take that can be recycled once I’ve finished using it? Try to avoid taking single-use plastic, such as bottles, bags and straws, which break down over time into tiny microplastics that enter the food chain when they’re consumed by marine wildlife and ultimately cause serious health issues for humans. Instead, pack a refillable water bottle, coffee cup, Tupperware containers for food and toiletries, and a shopping bag — it’ll be handy not just as a replacement for buying a plastic bag at a supermarket, but also when you’re out buying food and groceries at a local market.

What’s the most important change that I can make? The single more significant way to reduce the carbon emissions of travelling is to tackle the transport portion, which is often responsible for at least 70% of the carbon emissions of a holiday. The most effective way to do this is to reduce the distance travelled and to travel in a way that burns less or, even better, no fossil fuels, using more sustainable modes of transport; or by not travelling in a vehicle at all, choosing instead to travel on foot, by bike or under sail. There’s a steep difference in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by aeroplanes compared with most land-based vehicles. There are concerted efforts to decarbonise air travel using alternative fuels and methods of propulsion (such as via electricity and hydrogen), but even the most optimistic predictions support that this change is at least a decade away for most airlines. For the time being, the emissions from just one long-haul flight can be more than those caused by someone driving a standard petrol car for a whole year. Taking the train within the UK emits about six times less than flying and taking the bus emits about nine times less. In Europe, where many trains (including Eurostar) are electric, the emissions from rail travel can be as much as 10 times less than flying.

And what if I do need to fly? If you do fly, bear in mind that there’s quite a large disparity between the carbon emissions of aircraft and the operating procedures of airlines, so do use online tools such as the ‘Greener Choices’ label on the search results provided by the flight search engine skyscanner.net , which flags up those flights that have less than average emissions.

While flying continues to be such a large polluter, consider adopting a more selective approach to flying: just as with the flexitarian approach to food where you eat a mainly plant-based diet and only occasionally eat lean meat and sustainably sourced fish, a similar attitude to flying could be that you mainly travel overland and only occasionally fly, staying for longer, and making the most of the flight by choosing a positive-impact holiday that benefits nature conservation and/or genuinely benefits the wellbeing of local communities.

What does my carbon impact look like once I get to a destination? There are other factors that will affect your carbon emissions when you’re at the destination, including your choice of hotel and the food you eat. The average carbon footprint of a night in a typical hotel in the UK is about 31.1kg CO2, according to the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative, so choosing a hotel that has lower than average carbon emissions can make a significant difference to your holiday’s footprint. Thankfully it’s becoming easier to find green accommodation — keep an eye out for the green filters on specialist accommodation booking sites, such as Airbnb’s ‘off-the-grid’, Sawday’s 'Sustainable stars'   and   i-escape's 'eco rating', there are several online agencies that specialise in green accommodation, such as fairbnb.coop and myecostay.eu , and even the big online agencies, such as Booking.com , TripAdvisor and Google , now flag up eco-certified hotels in their search results. Many of these eco-certified accommodations do much more than reducing their carbon emissions, they’ll also reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill and reduce the use of chemicals and the amount of water they use.

Feasting on local, seasonal food washed down with the local tipple conveys a sense of place better than any travel brochure. It’s also much better for the environment as there are significant emissions of carbon arising from the ‘food miles’ associated with transporting food great distances. Whether it’s freshly baked bread for breakfast, salad from the local market for lunch, or the catch of the day at the nearby restaurant, choosing local isn’t just good for the planet, it’s also healthier and a great way to put money into the local community.

Where to go Some of the most colourful cities in Europe are a great choice for a green break, such as Bristol, Angers, Nantes, Zurich, Ljubljana and Copenhagen. Here, pragmatic local authorities are implementing the circular economy to create sustainable transport, housing and economic development policies that are accelerating their transition to net zero, which has the knock-on effect of improving the experience for sustainable travellers. For example, regenerative wetlands and connected green spaces help manage storm water, air quality and improve biodiversity, but also provide wonderful green sanctuaries that are great for appreciating urban nature or for just chilling out in parks and gardens across urban villages.

And how to get around? Countries that have a modern, high-speed rail infrastructure make it easy to travel with a lower carbon footprint. Switzerland has an extensive public transport network across the country (the Swiss Travel Pass provides free admission to 500 museums as well as unlimited travel on trains, bus, boat and public transport in cities), while France, Spain, Italy and Germany have impressive high-speed rail networks, particularly between major cities.

What about long haul? Further afield, some countries have made concerted efforts to include tourism in their sustainable development goals. Following decades of tree clearing for agriculture and livestock production, in the 1980s the Costa Rican government implemented policies that have halted and reversed this deforestation. Today, over half of Costa Rica’s land is covered by forest, compared to just 26% in 1983, allowing it to make the most of the biodiversity in its rainforests and pioneer the concept of ecotourism, developing small-scale, high-end eco lodges that have contributed to the conservation of its rainforests. Guyana, too, is developing community-based ecotourism to fund the protection of its rainforests. Lodges such as Iwokrama River Lodge , Rewa Eco-Lodge and Surama Eco-Lodge enable visitors to enjoy the country’s incredible biodiversity, while contributing to its conservation and to the livelihoods of remote communities.

Where can I look for more information? Richard Hammond is a sustainable travel expert and founder of Green Traveller and the author of The Green Traveller: Conscious Adventure That Doesn’t Cost the Earth (£18.99, Pavilion).

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Sustainability

Airlines want to make flight more sustainable. how will they do it, air travel produces millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. new technologies could help airlines reduce their emissions and meet their sustainability goals, by leigh krietsch boerner, september 3, 2021 | a version of this story appeared in volume 99, issue 32.

Credit: Chris Gash

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AIRLINES WANT TO GO GREEN

Shrinking jet fuel's carbon footprint

The search for greener airplane materials, supersonic flight's sustainability challenge.

Air travel produces about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and it is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gases, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). “The least-emitting flight is one that doesn’t happen at all,” says Nikita Pavlenko , senior fuels researcher for the ICCT. This advice is not practical for people who need to travel long distances or for the airline industry. But climate scientists say that to get climate change under control, airlines need to reduce their emissions.

Multiple airline companies have announced programs to try to become more sustainable in the coming years. Delta Air Lines recently committed $1 billion to become carbon neutral by 2030. JetBlue pledged to get there by 2040, and United Airlines by 2050 . Many other global airlines around the world have made similar promises.

But making air travel more sustainable is not simple. It takes a lot of energy to lift people and cargo into the air and carry them long distances. Airlines are trying to reduce their emissions in several ways. Probably the most common is switching from traditional fossil-derived jet fuels to ones that are made from renewable sources and have lower emissions during production. Airlines are also looking to new materials and coating technologies to make planes lighter, more aerodynamic, and more resistant to wear and tear. Meanwhile, a few airlines, such as United, think they can get to carbon neutrality while reintroducing supersonic flight.

Read on to learn more about the problems companies will face when trying to make their planes more environmentally friendly, as well as the technologies they may employ.

Emissions from burning jet fuel make up a large portion of commercial airlines’ environmental impact. Airlines are looking to reduce this with alternative fuels

When airline executives think about how to make air travel more sustainable, the biggest arrow points to the fuel burned to keep planes in the air. "For short-haul flights, there's some encouraging movement for zero-emission planes, such as those running on electricity," Pavlenko says. "But for everything else, it comes down to what fuel you can switch to."

The goal of using sustainable aviation fuels, or SAFs, is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the lifetime of the fuels, from production to combustion, compared with current petroleum-based jet fuels. The scale of that reduction depends on the process used to make the fuel and the carbon source. And even though some SAFs boast significant emission reductions, few are made at large scale.

Pathway to Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosenes

To make Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosenes, industrial chemists oxidize the carbon source to synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and then run this gas over an iron, cobalt, or ruthenium catalyst to produce hydrocarbons. They then blend the products with fossil-derived jet fuels before the result can be burned in a jet engine.

Sources: International Council on Clean Transportation, National Energy Technology Laboratory Note : In the Fischer-Tropsch reaction scheme, n indicates the number of carbons in the resulting hydrocarbons. For sustainable aviation fuels, that number is usually between 10 and 20.

Generally, commercial airliners use kerosene fuels called Jet A and Jet A-1. They're mixtures of paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics, and olefins and are mostly derived from petroleum. Some companies, such as Airbus, which declined to be interviewed for this story, are looking to hydrogen as a fuel, since it combusts to produce water vapor. But developing H 2 -burning engines is in early stages, so such planes are still far in the future.

Most companies are looking instead at drop-in fuels, or fuels that can work with existing jet engines. They need to have similar properties to jet fuel, including their energy released when burned, performance at low temperatures, and flow. These specifications ensure that the fuels will behave the same way fossil-derived jet fuel does in an airplane's engine, Pavlenko says. One way fuel manufacturers get SAFs to match these specifications is by blending them with conventional jet fuel, he says. How much is blended varies quite a bit, however. Most SAFs need to be blended 50:50 with Jet A-1. And while there's interest in SAFs that don't need to be blended, none have been commercially approved, according to Pavlenko. The standards these 100% SAF fuels would have to meet haven't even been set yet and will take probably 3–5 years to get completed, Rick Barraza, vice president of administration at the alternative-fuel company Fulcrum BioEnergy , says in an email.

There are three main ways to make SAFs: from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene (FT-SPK), and alcohol-to-jet synthetic paraffinic kerosene (ATJ-SPK). All three can be used at similar blend levels, around 50%.

To make HEFA fuels, industrial scientists remove the oxygens from molecules in unused vegetable oils, or waste fats, oils, and greases. Then they treat the mixtures with hydrogen to yield burnable hydrocarbons the right length for jet fuel, usually between 10 and 20 carbons long, according to the ICCT. Compared with Jet A and Jet A-1, these fuels are the most cost competitive SAF technology, Pavlenko says.

To make Fischer-Tropsch-SPK, scientists oxidize a wide variety of plant and human wastes and residues to make synthesis gas, a mixture of H 2 and carbon monoxide. Adding a catalyst—usually iron, cobalt, or ruthenium—to this gas triggers Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, which produces hydrocarbons.

The sources for alcohol-to-jet-SPK are crops such as sugarcane and corn, plant and agriculture wastes, and in some cases industrial flue gases. Generally, scientists convert these feedstocks to ethanol or isobutyl alcohol and then upgrade the alcohols to long-chain kerosene by removing water, treating them with hydrogen, and combining short-chain hydrocarbons to form longer ones.

Fickle fuels

Depending on the carbon source, sustainable aviation fuels can produce a large range of greenhouse gases over their lifetimes. Scientists compare these fuels’ carbon footprints by looking at the life-cycle carbon intensity, measured in grams of CO 2 equivalent (g CO 2 e) released per megajoule of energy burned.

Sources: International Council on Clean Transportation, International Civil Aviation Organization. a Not including plastic municipal solid waste.

These three alternative fuels don't have the same impact on the environment. The ICCT recently released a report showing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during various alternative fuels' life cycles, including growing or collecting the carbon sources, synthesizing the fuels, and combusting them in an engine. The data came from the International Civil Aviation Organization 's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation program , a United Nations effort.

The ICCT found that alcohol-to-jet-SPK fuels tend to have higher emissions than HEFA or Fischer-Tropsch-SPK fuels because making alcohols from starch-based crops takes a lot of energy and emits substantial amounts of greenhouse gases. In general, biofuels made from wastes and by-products tend to have lower greenhouse gas emissions than crop-based ones, the ICCT's Pavlenko says.

The SAF industry is shifting more to such waste-based fuels, according to Aaron Robinson , senior manager of environmental strategy and sustainability for United Airlines. Ten years ago, alternative-fuel companies focused on growing crops for biofuels. "Two out of our first three SAF flights were powered by agriculturally grown material," he says. "That's the way we thought the industry was going to be going." But life-cycle analyses have shown how environmentally costly that route can be. When the fuel source is a food crop, the process contributes to deforestation because more land is needed to grow the additional crops, Pavlenko says.

No fuel companies currently produce Fischer-Tropsch-SPKs, so the fuel currently in production with the lowest lifetime GHG emissions is HEFA, depending on the feedstocks. "Some SAFs actually don't offer very many, if any, greenhouse gas savings at all, such as palm oil–derived biofuel, whereas others can have greenhouse gas reductions approaching 100%," Pavlenko says. Used cooking oil and waste animal fats have lower lifetime emissions and are more popular than palm oil, he says.

The company closest to commercial production of Fischer-Tropsch-SPKs is Fulcrum BioEnergy in Pleasanton, California. This company's technology uses municipal solid waste, also known as trash, to make jet fuel. Fulcrum plans to start producing biofuel in the last quarter of this year at its plant just east of Reno, Nevada, Vice President Barraza says. The company plans to build eight other plants with a total production of about 1.5 billion L per year, enough to meet the needs of United and other partners, which include Cathay Pacific Airways and Japan Airlines, Barraza says.

Using municipal solid waste as a feedstock for jet fuel could provide significant greenhouse gas emission savings. Generally, the breakdown of municipal solid waste in landfills produces methane, which has over 28 times the climate change impact of CO 2 over 100 years. "By diverting [municipal solid waste] away from the landfill, we are thereby avoiding all that methane from being generated," Barraza says. The overall greenhouse gas life-cycle analysis for municipal solid waste fuel shows that this pathway can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 85% compared with fossil fuels. But the key is the company must first remove plastic waste from the trash.

Plastic sitting in a landfill is actually a form of carbon storage, the ICCT's Pavlenko says. "But if you're converting it into fuel and combusting it, that carbon that would have been safely in the ground for a long time, now it's in the atmosphere," he says. Barraza says the waste feedstock the company uses is mostly organic or biogenic material. "We have the ability to remove a fair amount of the high-value plastics and metals from the raw MSW as part of our feedstock preparation process," he says.

Powering airplanes with waste is certainly the dream for sustainable flight, and a viable one, United's Robinson says. "You could power all of United using just 20% of US landfill waste."

But the reality is that relative to total amounts of jet fuel, airlines aren't using a lot of SAFs right now. "It's less than 0.1% globally," Pavlenko says. For example, United has used about 3.8 million L of SAFs per year in recent years, compared with more than 15 billion L per year of conventional jet fuel, Robinson says. To bump up the amount of SAFs it has access to, United has struck deals with Fulcrum and World Energy , he says. Delta and JetBlue have agreements to purchase SAFs from the Finnish company Neste . These agreements give airlines both price and source certainty for future fuels and provide the fuel companies with a future market for their products.

Fulcrum's Barraza declines to provide details about the timeline for delivering the fuel the firm has promised to United. The big question, Robinson says, is how much the fuel is going to cost and if United can get it soon enough to make a difference in lowering emissions.

New materials could help airlines go green Companies and researchers are investigating new composites and coatings that are lighter, thinner, and more environmentally friendly than today’s

The materials used in every part of a plane can determine its weight, aerodynamics, and resistance to the wear and tear of whooshing through the atmosphere. What these materials, and the coatings applied to them, are made of and how they perform can therefore significantly affect a plane's environmental impact. Companies and researchers are now investigating lighter and less toxic materials and coatings for the more sustainable planes of the future.

Airplane coatings

Every part of a plane needs a coating to improve its function. Here are some examples from outside and inside a plane.

1. Cockpit windows: In addition to heat- and ultraviolet-resistant coatings, cockpit windows are coated with a conductive oxide material. Pilots can apply a voltage to the material to melt ice off the windows, saving deicing time and reducing delays.

2. Engines: The combustion chamber of a jet engine can reach almost 1,400 °C, and newer, more efficient engines need even higher fuel compression and combustion temperatures. All parts of airplane engines are coated with materials, often ceramics, to help them withstand these extremes.

3. Fuselage: The outsides of planes need coatings such as chrome to help resist rust, and polyurethanes and acrylics to protect against damage from ultraviolet light and improve aerodynamics. Coatings are also used to add airline logos to planes.

4. Passenger windows: Windows get coatings made from plastics and stretched acrylics to make them heat and ultraviolet resistant. New technology in development could add an electrochromic layer. That would allow passengers to dim the windows, eliminating the need for window shades.

5. Landing gear: Protection against rust and impact resistance are especially important in the landing gear, critical parts of the aircraft that have to withstand harsh conditions and intense forces. Coatings for landing gear include chrome; hard, diamond-like carbon; and anodized metals.

6. Passenger seats: Parts inside the plane that passengers don’t see, such as the mechanism that lets passengers recline their seats, also need coatings to help them resist friction and wear.

7. Tray tables: Plastic tray tables get coatings to prevent food stains, kill viruses and bacteria, and resist damage from cleaners used 10–15 times a day. These polymer materials have embedded nanoparticles or are treated with nonstick coatings and quaternary ammonium compounds.

An airplane's weight significantly contributes to its carbon footprint because lighter aircraft need less fuel to operate, and less fuel burned means lower emissions. One way to make airplanes lighter is to change what they're made of.

Airplanes were historically made of metal, usually an aluminum alloy. Now some new airplanes, such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, are about 55% composite materials instead, says Samit Roy , an aerospace engineer at the University of Alabama. A composite is anything made up of two or more materials. For example, some companies build aircraft wings, tails, and parts of the fuselage with polymers that have embedded carbon or glass fibers. Composites can reduce the weight of airplanes by up to 20%, Roy says.

Roy's group is working on new composites consisting of carbon fiber with embedded nanoparticles. In addition to being lightweight, these materials can be 3D printed. Printing would reduce material loss because parts can be produced in the exact size and shape needed instead of being cut out from a larger piece of material, as is done with aluminum, Roy says.

Roy and colleagues also want to make these composites conductive. "If an aluminum aircraft like a 747 gets struck by lightning, the lightning passes right through on the skin of the aircraft, doing minimal or no damage," Roy says. But most composite materials used in aircraft are not conductive on their own, so a direct zap could do serious damage. To protect against this, aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus put copper mesh over the fuselage of their composite planes, but that layer adds cost and weight, Roy says. To improve electrical conductivity and let planes ditch the heavy copper layer, scientists are developing reinforced composites with nanographene or carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers.

Coatings' main purpose is to add new functions and properties to surfaces, says Lars Haubold , manager for coating technology at the diamonds and coatings division of Fraunhofer USA Center Midwest , a research nonprofit that is partnered with Michigan State University. Coatings provide corrosion protection, add insulation, reduce air friction, or simply decorate the plane with a company's logo. Pretty much every part of a commercial airplane gets some kind of coating, whether it's the windows to add ultraviolet light protection, the landing gear to keep the mechanics from rusting, or the tray tables to make them stain resistant.

One of the primary jobs of some coatings is to keep a part from rusting and breaking down. For many years, the go-to corrosion inhibitor in airline industry coatings was hexavalent chromium, also called chrome. Unfortunately, the compound is a known carcinogen and is harmful to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Cr(VI) has contaminated water supplies in a few well-known cases, such as the one featured in the movie Erin Brockovich . Because of Cr(VI)'s health and environmental issues, the US Environmental Protection Agency limits chromium emissions in electroplating and levels in drinking water . The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration also lists the compound as a carcinogen and regulates workers' exposure to it.

Coatings companies have been trying to eliminate the compound for a very long time, says Robin Peffer, the global marketing manager for aerospace coatings at the paint and coatings company PPG Industries . The company is looking to alternatives with alkali earth, rare earth, and transition-metal compounds. In addition to being less toxic, chrome-free materials can potentially be lighter. "So if we have a primer that's 20 or 30% lighter than standard chromated primers today, that's going to have a direct impact on fuel efficiency for the aircraft," Peffer says.

Changing the way coatings get applied is another way to improve sustainability. Chrome-based coatings typically need to be sprayed on, Peffer says. Many of the alternative anticorrosion coatings can be applied by immersing the parts in a coating solution instead. This process allows coatings companies to apply the material more efficiently, especially to complex shapes. "We can get upwards of 75% or more weight savings because we're putting the coating on more uniformly across the part than we can with spray," Peffer says.

Plasma electrolytic oxidation is another potential way to apply coatings. This method is similar to anodizing, which electrochemically converts a metal to its oxide, making it more durable and corrosion resistant. In plasma electrolytic oxidation, scientists apply between 200 and 1,000 V to a metal submersed in a coating solution, heating the material up to its plasma state, around 10,000 °C, says Ankit Khurana, vice president for engineering at Keronite , a start-up surface technology company. The material's lattice structure then opens up, allowing the material to be infused with particles from the surrounding solution. This process embeds the coating material into the metal while it converts into an oxide layer, he says.

The resulting layer is both thinner and harder than one created by traditional anodizing, Keronite CEO Matt Hamblin says. "The coatings are anywhere from 5 to 35 μm thick, so they really carry no weight at all," he says.

Plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings also are three to four times as wear resistant, so they can be replaced less frequently, Hamblin says. Commercial airliners fly an average 3,500 h per year, so their coatings need to be replaced at regular intervals, some as often as every 3 months. A longer-lasting coating means less time in the repair hangar and less overall material used, Hamblin says, providing both cost savings for the airline and improved sustainability.

One thing to keep in mind, Hamblin says, is that a lot of these technologies are going into airplanes currently being designed that will be flying years from now, not what's currently in the air. Airline companies have "a tendency to redesign or reuse what they've already got, maybe with a slight tweak," he says. "You don't necessarily see these huge shifts." And because airlines use their planes for a long time, current coating technologies will probably still be used on planes in the air for the next 25 years.

The University of Alabama's Roy agrees that these technologies will find commercial use down the road. "That's what research is all about, the look ahead," he says. But as time goes on, more and more airline companies and science agencies are becoming aware of how important sustainable materials technology is, Roy says. "I think now they're waking up more to it. The possibility."

Airplane start-up Boom Supersonic claims its planes can achieve net-zero carbon emissions. Critics aren’t so sure

Supersonic air travel has had a mixed record of success. Operating from 1976 to 2003, the Concorde could fly between London and New York City in around 3 h and was considered a marvel of aerospace engineering. But the plane was retired because both airlines that operated the flights, Air France and British Airways, were losing money on the supersonic routes.

Gas guzzler

According to a 2018 study by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the average supersonic airplane would burn between five and seven times the fuel per passenger that a conventional, subsonic flight on the same routes does.

Source: Anastasia Kharina, Tim MacDonald, Dan Rutherford, Environmental Performance of Emerging Supersonic Transport , The International Council on Clean Transportation, July 17, 2018. Note: Fuel estimates are averages and vary depending on aircraft specifications and environmental policies.

Since then, supersonic airline companies have popped up and petered out. One new company, though, is getting attention for its sustainability goals. Boom Supersonic , an aircraft start-up based in Denver, made headlines in June when United Airlines agreed to buy 15 of its supersonic Overture airplanes, with an option to buy 35 more. Both Boom and United have highlighted the deal as helping United meet its sustainability initiative to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In numerous press releases, Boom has announced that Overture is "expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel." Boom has rarely spoken to the press about the details of its sustainability plans and declined to be interviewed for this story.

Critics, however, aren't so sure about the company's sustainability claims. Supersonic flight would have to overcome some significant obstacles to become both sustainable and financially viable. Here is a look at some of those hurdles.

Disclosure: The author has a relative that works at an airline not mentioned in the story.

Rise in CO 2

If supersonic planes join worldwide fleets, they could increase carbon dioxide emissions from air travel by approximately 10% in 2035.

Global CO 2 million metric tons

2019 (only subsonic possible)

2035 (subsonic)

2035 (subsonic and supersonic)

Sources: International Council on Clean Transportation, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Energy Agency, US Energy Information Administration, International Air Transport Association. Note: Projected CO 2 emissions for subsonic aircraft in 2035 calculated by multipling projected fuel use by 21.10 lb CO 2 emitted per gallon of jet fuel burned.

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The future of flying is closer than ever. Sustainable fuel is the key

New horizons. Image:  Ross Parmly/Unsplash

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Lauren Uppink

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Stay up to date:, travel and tourism.

• As air travel picks up, it is critical that the aviation industry supports the net-zero transition.
• Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) - fuel made from biogenic feedstocks such as waste cooking oil, agricultural residues and municipal waste - will play an key role.
• The World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative created a new certificate system to enable customers to take ownership of their emissions reduction goals.
• Read the report here .

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a drastic reduction in air travel, leaving many airlines facing an uncertain future. It might be tempting to assume that once air travel resumes, it would be business as usual as the airline industry focuses on a return to profitability over commitments to achieve net-zero emissions . But as Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer at Airbus, recently stated , pursuing one at the expense of the other “is a false choice.”

At pre-pandemic levels, aviation was responsible for 2-3% of overall global emissions, and current forecasts from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) anticipate significant growth in air travel throughout the 2020s. In addition, as the world looks to build back better, a growing proportion of airline passengers will be millennials who are likely to book with sustainable brands with which their values align.

To drive a sustainable, long-term recovery in the aviation industry, facilitating the transition to net-zero flying by the middle of this century remains a priority across aviation’s value chain. Achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 will not only help create an environmentally sustainable future but also ensure a financially resilient and competitive aviation industry as a whole.

Have you read?

Aviation accounts for 2.4% of emissions. could a different type of fuel help, here’s how sustainable aviation fuel can take off in europe, decarbonising aviation requires a transition to sustainable fuel. here’s how governments can help., how to achieve net-zero flying.

The use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) - fuel either made from biogenic feedstocks such as waste cooking oil, agricultural residues and municipal waste, or through next generation SAF technologies such as power-to-liquid from recycled CO2 and carbon-capture technologies - will play an indispensable part in achieving this transition.

SAF is especially relevant for addressing carbon emissions from long-haul flights and has the distinct financial advantage of not requiring any major new equipment or infrastructure investment, since it can be blended with conventional jet fuel. Given the long lead time for new propulsion technologies like hydrogen and electric to come to market, SAF is a way to make substantial progress on net zero immediately, for both long and short haul aviation.

SAF that is currently commercially available can reduce GHG emissions by up to 80% on a life-cycle emissions basis as compared to fossil fuels, offering airlines a way to become greener while continuing to fly. The problem of wider adoption is two-fold: the cost and current limited supply of SAF. Today’s commercial production of SAF is only approximately 0.05% of total EU jet fuel consumption – and the current pace of growth is nowhere near what it should be to meet global climate objectives.

To help support the development and use of SAF, the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) initiative created the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate (SAFc) system to serve as an accounting tool that will allow SAF emissions reductions to be claimed by the traveler if they cover the higher cost of the fuel. In other words, corporations will be able to pay extra for sustainable aviation fuel certificates against their chosen routes, boosting demand for SAF and unlocking additional funding sources to stimulate this nascent industry. Instead of buying offsets, the SAFc framework provides customers with the option to invest directly into SAF and furthermore receive recognition for this purchase to prove Scope 3 carbon abatement for their corporations.

As other sectors proceed to decarbonize, the aviation sector could account for a much higher share of global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century than its 2%-3% share today.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80%, but they currently make up less than 0.1% of total aviation fuel consumption. Enabling a shift from fossil fuels to SAFs will require a significant increase in production, which is a costly investment.

The Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) Coalition is a global initiative driving the transition to sustainable aviation fuels as part of the aviation industry’s ambitious efforts to achieve carbon-neutral flying.

The coalition brings together government leaders, climate experts and CEOs from aviation, energy, finance and other sectors who agree on the urgent need to help the aviation industry reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The coalition aims to advance the commercial scale of viable production of sustainable low-carbon aviation fuels (bio and synthetic) for broad adoption in the industry by 2030. Initiatives include a mechanism for aggregating demand for carbon-neutral flying, a co-investment vehicle and geographically specific value-chain industry blueprints.

Learn more about the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition's impact and contact us to find out how you can get involved.

Commitments to net-zero emissions

International aviation and shipping are unique in that they were excluded from national carbon budgets under the Paris Agreement. Instead, Parties were requested to work through the international regulators to reduce emissions from these sectors. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, traction was slow with governments and industry alike in the will or commitment to a net-zero by 2050 target for the sector. That being said, the industry were already aligned around environmental targets, including to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and by 2050 to have halved carbon emissions from aviation against 2005 levels. In 2019 ambitious leaders in the sector joined the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition as a crucial mechanism through which actors across the value chain could collaborate to advance efforts towards net-zero flying.

Being an industry with low profit margins to begin with, it is promising to see airlines emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic with the recognition of the false choice between longer-term profitability and sustainability. Over the last year we have witnessed this in the many commitments to net-zero that have come to pass.

In September 2020, oneworld – which includes American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways – announced that all 13 of its member airlines have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, becoming the first global airline alliance to unite behind a common target to achieve carbon neutrality. The airlines said they will develop individual approaches to reach the net-zero target by 2050, through a mix of various initiatives such as efficiency measures, investments in SAF and more fuel-efficient aircraft, reduction of waste and single-use plastics, and carbon offsets, among other measures.

This was followed in February by Europe’s aviation sector unveiling its flagship sustainability initiative Destination 2050 – which lays out a route to reduce CO2 emissions from all flights within and departing from the EU by 45% by 2030, reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. This document is backed by major European flight industry associations, covering airports (ACI EUROPE), airlines (A4E), aerospace and defense (ASD Europe), air traffic control (CANSO), and regional airlines (ERA).

In March 2021, Airlines for America, the industry trade organization representing the leading US airlines, announced the commitment of its member carriers to work across the aviation industry and with government leaders to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In April, British Airways-owner International Airlines Group announced the first SAF commitment, to ensure SAF accounts for 10% of their fuel usage in 2030. They plan to achieve this by investing US$400 million into SAF development in the next 20 years and purchasing one million tons of sustainable fuel on an annual basis.

And just recently, Airports Council International (ACI) World and their five ACI regions adopted a long-term carbon goal for their member airports. ACI EUROPE not only reaffirmed the commitment of 235 airports to net zero by 2050 but also significantly raised ambitions with 91 airports run by 16 operators, being set to deliver on their net-zero commitment already by 2030.

On the consumer side, there are growing commitments from multinational corporations to fly on airlines using SAF. In October, Alaska Airlines and Microsoft signed a partnership agreement to reduce carbon emissions via flights powered by sustainable aviation fuel on key routes, while in February Deloitte struck agreements with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to buy flights using SAF as part of its efforts to reduce emissions. Agreements like this enable corporations to help carry the extra cost of SAF to the airlines and the SAFc accounting framework is designed to facilitate, incentivize and standardize these transactions to ensure they are environmentally credible and result in additional sources of funding to rapidly accelerate SAF production and use

One of the goals for COP26 is to rally the aviation fuel value chain behind a 10% SAF by 2030 ambition. Tools such as SAFc, coalitions of the willing and ambitious commitments from airlines themselves offer a promising way forward.

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Sustainable air travel: Could long-haul flights ever go green?

As we start thinking about resuming flights abroad, we wonder whether guilt-free, sustainable air travel will be possible for our summer holidays.

Alexandra Franklin-Cheung

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), aviation is responsible for 3 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions . This may not seem like a lot, but while most economic sectors are shrinking their carbon footprint , aviation’s is rising. Without significant action, the contribution to global emissions could soar to 22 per cent by 2050 as passenger numbers rise.

In 2021, global airlines, convened by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), committed to reversing this trend to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 . While greener air travel is possible, it will be a challenging task, particularly at a time when airlines are still reeling from the financial losses they have incurred during the pandemic.

Perhaps the most straightforward path to greener flights and more sustainable air travel is to swap out traditional kerosene jet fuel for environmentally-friendly alternatives, known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). SAFs are produced using cooking oil, household waste or plant matter, and can be blended in with kerosene to fuel existing planes without modifying their engines. Once you factor in production and transport, the use of SAFs can lead to 80 per cent less carbon emissions than the use of kerosene in a single flight.

Read more about aeroplanes:

• The quiet supersonic aeroplane that could revolutionise air travel
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Figures produced by the IATA show that almost 400,000 flights to date have already been powered by SAF . In 2021, 100 million litres of fuel were produced. The catch? Sustainable fuels currently account for just 0.1 per cent of global consumption, and typically cost three times more than conventional fuels. Although production is ramping up, there is still a long way to go.

In time, and with enough government support, the IATA estimates that more widespread use of SAFs could enable a 65 per cent cut in aviation’s overall emissions, but they are just one piece of the puzzle.

Going electric is an obvious route to making more sustainable air travel. With an increasing proportion of electricity coming from low-carbon sources such as wind or solar power, electric vehicles can dramatically cut the carbon emissions linked to travel. But electric planes face one considerable hurdle: weight. While a kilogram of jet fuel packs away 12,000Wh of energy, a lithium-iron battery only manages 250Wh per kilogram.

What’s more, while a traditional plane gets lighter as it burns up its fuel, batteries offer no such savings. This makes electric long-haul flights a non-starter for the foreseeable future – any plane with sufficient battery power for long-haul flights would simply be too heavy to take to the skies.

Instead, a raft of companies are focusing on smaller planes that could travel on shorter routes, or hybrid models where electricity complements a traditional engine. Budget airline EasyJet, for example, is currently developing a fully electric plane capable of carrying 186 passengers, which it hopes could cover short routes such as London to Amsterdam from 2030.

Elsewhere, hydrogen has been heralded as the clean energy source of the future, with its combustion releasing only water vapour. Hydrogen aircraft can either burn hydrogen directly as a fuel or use it to generate electricity using hydrogen fuel cells. In 2020, ZeroAvia retrofitted a six-seater plane and flew the first passenger flight powered by hydrogen fuel cells .

But hydrogen comes with its own set of challenges. Although by weight, hydrogen holds more energy than jet fuel, it takes up a much larger volume, even when cooled into a liquid state. To generate the same amount of power as a standard plane, a hydrogen jet would need a fuel tank four times the size, leaving less space for passengers or freight.

Additionally, although hydrogen can be produced with near-zero emissions, the majority of hydrogen used today is derived from natural gas, using a process that releases carbon dioxide. The success of hydrogen-powered flight would also be reliant on developing a ‘hydrogen economy’: the wide-ranging global infrastructure required for hydrogen to be produced cleanly, stored and transported around the world.

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Sustainable Air Travel Could Happen, Although the Options are Challenging

Could we ever fly sustainably learn why that answer is yes and what types of fuel could help the environment..

The airline industry spews about 800 megatons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, roughly 2 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. There is an increasingly need to decarbonize air travel, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll be cutting the cord on it anytime soon.

Air travel is imperative for global connectivity, with roughly 100,000 flights in transit every day carrying people and goods around the world. Aircrafts come with a lengthy list of qualifications, like the need to be lightweight, fuel efficient, reliable, cost effective, quickly refuelable, and able to fly long distances – it’s not so easy to change them.

The looming question that emerges is: Can flying ever truly be sustainable? Maybe it can, though biofuels are likely a near-term bridge to a future in which aircrafts are powered by hydrogen or even electricity. But none of these options come without their set of challenges.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

November 2024 marked a milestone in the field of aviation. Virgin Atlantic's Flight100 , a Boeing 787, embarked on the world's first transatlantic flight from London to New York powered entirely by biofuel – fuel derived from organic matter rather than fossil fuels.

The fuel, known in the industry as Sustainable Aviation fuel (SAF), is derived from renewable or recycled waste such as corn grain, oil seeds, algae, other fats, oils, and greases, agricultural residues and more. It boasts substantially fewer carbon emissions — up to 70 percent less than traditional jet fuel.

Parallel to the advancements in SAF, H2Fly’s hydrogen-powered four-seater aircraft took to the skies in Slovenia late last year.

“Alternatives for liquid fuels in aviation are largely hydrogen or electrical, but those technologies are nowhere near where we are with SAF,” says Andrew Chen, principal of aviation decarbonization at RMI. “The beauty of SAF is it’s a drop-in fuel,” so it can go into existing aircrafts, says Chen.

Read More: Airlines Prepare for Greener Future

What Does SAF Come From?

Flight100 set a record as the longest flight to use 100 percent SAF, challenging the current 50 percent SAF blending limit for commercial flights. Flight100's liquid blend consists predominantly of material from waste fats, and a small portion of synthetic kerosene, a type of jet fuel made from plant sugars.

Although some SAF can be created through the utilization of already-available waste materials, a much larger portion will have to be manufactured. This can be done through growing feedstocks, the organic materials used to produce biodiesel – which can be environmentally taxing in itself.

“You need a lot of land to grow all those crops, there’s only so much waste material that you can make liquid fuels from. You don’t even have enough waste oils from all the world’s restaurants to power one airport,” says Lewis Fulton, director of the Energy Futures Program at the University of California Davis.

Aamir Shams, senior associate of climate aligned industries/aviation at RMI called out the steep competition for feedstocks among industries, and the necessity to explore new feedstocks that do not require land usage – such as algae and camelina .

SAF can also be created using electricity and carbon waste, which Fulton points to as the most feasible long-term option – as they don’t require nearly the land that biofuels do. That is, if they can be accessed at a reasonable price point.

“Then it becomes a question of whether you can get enough CO2 to support the volume that you need. CO2 is expensive,” says Fulton.

Read More: The Other Solar Power: How Scientists Are Making Fuel From Sunlight and Air

Shifting to Sustainable Travel

Biofuels are cheaper to produce, and the manufacturing infrastructure is already in place to do so, making them the near-term alternative that airlines are looking to. As of 2022, over 30 airlines have announced their plans to shift to SAF.

To use hydrogen in an aircraft, it needs to be stored as either a liquid or a gas.

Storing liquid hydrogen requires extremely low temperatures , which complicates its use, but by opting for liquid over pressurized gaseous hydrogen, H2Fly could double its fuel capacity and flying range.

Electric air travel struggles with the same limitations as it relates to flying range. Electric aircrafts already exist and are flying short-distance commercial routes, but Chen says the battery technology won’t be able to sustain medium to long haul flights until at least 2030.

Yet the energy efficiency of battery-powered aircrafts is distinctly advantageous – about 70 percent of the energy used to charge the battery can actually be utilized by the aircraft, whereas hydrogen and synthetic fuel hover at an efficiency of around 20 to 30 percent.

Read More: How the U.S. Could Have an All-Renewable Energy Grid

The Costs of Sustainable Flights

With SAF as the leading short-term prospect for an alternative jet fuel, governments, corporations, and airlines are scrambling to create an economic outcome that makes it feasible for the typical consumer.

Traditional kerosene jet fuel in the U.S. retails around $2.85 a gallon, while SAF hovers around $6.69 per gallon . The premium price stems from the scant availability of SAF, paired with the high costs of producing and blending the sustainable fuel.

Even with a prioritization on the cheaper fuels, projections indicate that by 2030, the shift to SAF could translate into an increase in ticket prices ranging from $3 to $14.

However, unlike the technological hurdles that come with hydrogen, “the challenge with SAF is not the technology, it’s the mandates,” says Orlando O. Spencer from OOS Group.

Government policies and shifts in carbon pricing and subsidies could play pivotal roles in narrowing this cost disparity. President Biden created tax credits for farmers using land to create biodiesel, and a target through the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge for the U.S. to produce 35 billion tons of SAF per year by 2050, with a near-term goal of 3 billion by 2030.

And while governments can stimulate production, corporations will need to contribute the bulk of the initial capital to support it. Governments worldwide have begun to recognize the importance of SAF, with mandates in the U.S., U.K., and EU aiming for a 10 percent SAF usage by 2030.

Read More: How to Save Planet Earth

Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

IEA50. Aviation.

Virgin Airlines. Flight100: Virgin Atlantic flies its first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel flight.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Sustainable Aviation Fuels.

Bain & Company. Airlines can eliminate up to 70% of emissions by 2050, but many will miss their net zero goals if air traffic continues to grow faster than GDP.

Science Direct. Emerging Feedstock.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Hydrogen Storage.

AOPA. Going greener with liquid hydrogen .

MIT Technology Review. This is what’s keeping electric planes from taking off.

U.S. Department of Energy. Biodiesel Income Tax Credit.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge.

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How Lufthansa Group is Making Sustainable Air Travel a Reality

Guided by the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, this global airline is shaping a more sustainable future for aviation..

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The Lufthansa Group is taking sustainable air travel to another level.

Air travel accounts for nearly three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and one airline that stands out for how it’s been consciously upping its eco game is the Lufthansa Group . As a global industry leader, the Lufthansa Group is at the forefront of sustainable air travel, setting targets to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and cutting its net carbon emissions in half by 2030. Here’s how they’re making it happen.

A modern and efficient fleet

By 2030, Lufthansa will put at least 190 more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft into service.

It takes a lot more than carbon offsets for an airline to be truly sustainable. One of the most effective instruments for reducing carbon emissions is flying more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft . By 2030, Lufthansa will put at least 190 more sustainable aircraft into service, reducing fuel consumption and CO₂-emissions by up to 30 percent compared to their respective predecessors. Measures for the technical modification of the existing fleet to increase ecological and economic efficiency include equipping aircraft with fuel-saving technology AeroSHARK (a thin bionic film applied to an aircraft’s outer skin to optimize airflow, and in turn, fuel consumption and carbon emission), and reducing noise.

Sustainable aviation fuel

Lufthansa was Europe’s largest customer for sustainable fuel in 2021.

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For years, Lufthansa has been one of the largest purchasers of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), an umbrella term for all aviation fuels produced using sustainable alternatives rather than using fossil energy sources. The brand is also actively committed to several projects developing production methods that will allow this sustainable alternative to be available on a large, global scale. One example is that Lufthansa is a partner and pilot customer of one of the world’s first plants for the production of Power-to-Liquid crude oil, created using renewably, generated electricity, water, and CO₂ captured from the atmosphere. In addition, Lufthansa Group and SWISS concluded a strategic collaboration with ETH Zurich spinoff Synhelion to bring solar aviation fuel to market and is set to become the first customer for the solar kerosene soon.

Food and drinks are packaged using sustainable material.

In-flight waste and plastic reduction

Lufthansa continuously aims to make the in-flight experience more sustainable by avoiding single-use plastic and developing sustainable designs of its airlines’ onboard products. A large proportion of the fresh products from their food program, Onboard Delights, are packaged in PaperWise material made from agricultural waste material and produced using 100-percent renewable energy. The company even won a German Design Award 2022 in the category of “Excellent Communications Design – Packaging” for the packaging of its new food offering. Lufthansa Group aims to remove or replace single-use plastic parts onboard with sustainable alternatives.

Offset CO₂ emissions directly

From the moment you book your flight, you can make a contribution to climate protection . In 2019, the Lufthansa Innovation Hub launched the digital compensation platform, Compensaid , enabling passengers to track and offset their individual carbon footprint through the use of SAF, investing in climate protection projects run by the non-profit organization myclimate, or a mix of both. Lufthansa Group has integrated the option for carbon-neutral flying directly into the booking to make it easier to fly the sustainable way.

Lufthansa now allows passengers to offset their CO2 emissions in-flight.

Commitment to climate research and environmental management

Lufthansa Group has been making valuable contributions to climate research since 1994. In addition to carrying passengers, Lufthansa Group aircraft are also in the service of climate research, helping analyze the composition of the middle atmosphere and predict the Earth’s future climate. The airline group has also been operating a central environmental database , used to collect and process information and data relevant to the environment for business decision-making.

The Lufthansa Group is continuously expanding its environmental efforts to achieve its impressive climate targets and make it as easy as possible for your next flight to be as eco-friendly as possible. Just by choosing Lufthansa Group’s carbon-neural offers, you can be a better traveler.

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Air-Travel Trends: the future is sustainable and interconnected

December 09, 2021 •

3 min reading

While travel has not yet resumed its previous levels after a period of major depression, airlines are taking the time to take an introspective look and improve. We met with Romain Vetter, Head of Western Switzerland for SWISS International Air Lines , to talk about his perspective on the future and trends of air travel and the challenges that the industry is facing.   

What’s the future of air travel? 

The future of air travel lies in the interconnectivity with other transport modes.  In a world of constant innovation , people are looking for more efficient means to do everything. Our mindset must be global and not individual, it’s only whilst developing high interconnectivity that we will achieve the best ergonomic travelling means.    Using electric planes is one of the first solutions that comes to mind when talking about the future, unfortunately, I this day and age they could only have a utility for short-length flights. Today, the real innovation lies in alternative fueling reducing around 80% of CO2 emissions . For example, Lufthansa Group directed its focus towards innovation, by implementing sharkskin technology, a new kind of sustainable engineering on its cargo’s flights, to reduce friction air and fuel consumption.  But if the solution lies in alternative fuels, anyone is bound to ask: why is this so complicated to implement? The challenge here, is that they are on average 5 times more expensive than the current fuel. Adding to that, those new types of synthetic fuels are very scarce in resources, it’s incredibly complicated to reach productivity and the amount produced is very small.  

Leadership Trends

After talking about the future of air travel, it is interesting to look at the industry's current state and analyze what the leaders are doing. To no surprise, innovation is at the forefront, driving the industry forward regarding efficiency, design, and sustainability (to name a few). Nowadays, the air travel offer is vast, and these improvements help differentiate each company.

The focus is on efficient and effective design of planes, allowing for improvement in terms of sustainability. For example, the "Sharkskin" technology implemented for Lufthansa 's Cargos allows savings of just under 11,700 tons of COD emissions per year." Furthermore, another remarkable trend is centered around connecting with people online. After being forced into the virtual world, airlines are paying increased attention to improving the connection with customers from the first exposure to the service - online. As mentioned before, differentiation plays a crucial role, and therefore companies have to find creative ways to engage and relate to their customers. With the example of SWISS , them implementing their "SWISS Saveurs" food offer in-flight is an effort to express and represent the swiss culture, and thus establish a unique connection with the passengers. In conclusion, the industry's out-of-the-box thinking allows air travel to survive and thrive after experiencing a significant recession. In addition, with a global mindset shifting towards personalized experiences, now and in the future, we can see how every aspect of the bond between the brand and the company is being carefully taken into consideration.

EHL Alliance ’s founding member, Swiss International Air Lines is committed on various fronts to the careful and sustainable use of natural resources and regards a responsible attitude to the environment as an integral part of its corporate culture.    Reference:   Schmid, C., Diaz, M., & Vetter, R. (2021, November 9). Interview about sustainabilty and the future of air travel with Romain Vetter. personal. 

Head of Swiss, Western Switzlerland

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Beyond 2050: Is Sustainable Air Travel Possible In The Long-Term?

Is sustainable air travel possible in the long-term future? Currently, most carriers are attempting to reach carbon neutrality, but whether these measures are adequate in the long term is yet to be determined. This article will discuss current and near-future methods for achieving carbon neutrality and their efficiency in the long term.

How Efficient Are Carbon Offsets?

Currently, most carriers promote sustainability on their flights by offering carbon offsets. While these offer environmentally conscious passengers the opportunity to alleviate any guilt about flying, the efficiency of these offsets is questionable at best and puts the responsibility and onus onto the passenger rather than the company.

A recent investigation by The Guardian suggests that carbon offsets may not be as environmentally friendly as once thought. Carbon offsets are an optional add-on to tickets, where customers can purchase ‘carbon credits’ alongside their tickets. These values are determined by the percentage of carbon released by their journey. These credits are converted into ‘offsets’ by carriers, who transfer to offsetting projects to invest their value into various environmental schemes. These include forestry schemes, sustainable household appliances and hydroelectric dams, mostly across developing countries.

The Guardian analysed the top 50 carbon-offsetting emissions projects. Their study found that about 78% of these were largely worthless in their goal of offsetting carbon emissions. The efficacy of the remaining 22% was either questionable or could not be determined due to a lack of public information. The study found that about $1.16bn (£937m) worth of carbon credits had been traded for junk.

Carbon-Neutral By 2050 – Or, How Sustainable Is SAF?

In October 2021, during their 77th annual general meeting, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved a resolution for the aviation industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Rather than an offset program, IATA emphasised using Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF. Carbon offsets comprised just 19% of this roadmap, perhaps appropriately considering their inefficiency.

Sourced from either animal or plant waste (as opposed to fossil fuels), Sustainable Aviation Fuel , or SAF, is chemically identical to conventional jet fuel. Therefore, SAF can be blended with traditional jet fuel or used independently. The use of sustainable aviation fuel instead of standard jet fuel has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% . In addition to IATA’s pledge, carriers in the European Union are now under the added pressure of regional legislation on how much sustainable aviation fuel must be used.

But just like its fossil-fuel counterpart, SAF has limitations, largely concerning production. Legislation has been criticised with concerns regarding the supply of SAF and how suppliers will meet the coming demand. SAF is largely sourced from waste cooking oil and fat, and resources are finite. Demand for SAF is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decades, according to the IATA, which foresees 90 billion litres of fuel required in 2030.

Although SAF production is increasing rapidly – it tripled in 2022 at 300 million litres – there is still a long way to go to make 2025’s target, and research is not entirely optimistic. The Royal Society projected that suppliers in the United Kingdom are highly likely unable to meet consumer demand . Transport & Environment have declared the majority of SAF sources – animal fat, crop-based fuels, and advanced biofuels –  unsustainable because they compete with food production or are too finite.

Although E-Kerosene is defined as a sustainable alternative to jet fuel, its potential far outweighs oil and crop-based biofuels – a report by Transport and Environment found that significant legislation needs to be introduced by the EU before use is feasible.  

IATA’s Waypoint 2050 report found that replacing all jet fuel with SAF is feasible over the coming decades, but the study only judges availability up to 2050.  The question of what happens after 2050 remains.

But judging by sustainability trends, the demand for SAF may give way to something much larger.

Electrifying Aircraft, Or The Future Of Air Travel

In a report by Allied Market Research, the electric aircraft industry is expected to undergo a major shift in the near future. In 2021, the global electric aircraft market size was valued at $8.5 billion. Just one decade later, AMR projects it will reach $23.5 billion.

Unlike sustainable aviation fuel, electricity is not finite, suggesting that using it to power a jet – rather than crop-based fuels or re-used animal fat – is preferable, justifying the increasing demand for electric aircraft. However, like SAF, whether suppliers can satisfy this demand is questionable.

On the 27th of September 2022, Eviation’s Alice made history as the first all-electric passenger aeroplane to take flight. The 9-passenger plane boasts lower operating costs than a conventional airline and can currently fly around 600 miles .

Although primarily advertised as a business-class commercial flight, Eviation has also suggested its use as a cargo carrier. The plane has a volume of 450 cubic feet and is temperature-controlled.

During their 2022 Hangar Day Conference , Heart Aerospace announced numerous partners in developing their 30-seater electric plane , the ES-30. With competitive pricing and a carbon emission reduction of over 50% per seat in comparison to 50-seat turboprops in longer sectors, the plane has garnered investors across carriers and airports.

Heart also announced the partners involved in producing the ES-30. The ES-30 counts global investors, with Japan’s Toki Air, Aotearoa’s Wellington Airport, North America’s United and Air Canada and Scandinavia’s SAS Airlines.

David Morgan, Chief Pilot of Air New Zealand, announced his excitement about beginning to work with Heart. More significantly, however, he noted that his customers would welcome the investment:

“The customer is king, and it’s what they actually want.. and that is sustainable air travel, going into the future”

This factor of Mr Morgan’s speech was especially significant because he recognised the demand for sustainable aviation beyond sustainable aviation fuel or carbon offsets. His reference to the “future”, without mention of SAF, demonstrates a mindset that extends beyond 2050.

Heart Aerospace projects the ES-30 to enter service in 2028. By the late 2030s, the electric plane is expected to run flights up to 600 kilometres. For reference, a flight from London to Dublin is about 591 Km.

Bye Aerospace, based in Denver, CO, is also developing its answer to growing interest in electric aviation. Although first and foremost developing the E-flyer 2, a two-seated aircraft developed to help new pilots train without incurring fuel costs, the airline’s E-flyer 800 pro suggests new developments for commercial flying. Bye Aerospace expects to receive full approval for the eFlyer 800, an 8-seat electric plane, by late 2025 or early 2026.

Although their carrier is comparatively smaller than Heart’s, the Eflyer 800’s “ twin-turboprop performance and safety with no CO 2 and extremely low operating costs ” have led to the company drawing deposit agreements with several Europe and US-based carriers. Excitingly, the plane also includes potential solar cell supplementation .

However promising these projects and investor interest may be, their place in the future of air travel ultimately depends on advancements in battery technology. Although planes like the ES-30 are attractive for short-haul flights, especially judging by their comparatively lower operating costs, they cannot cover the same distances as conventional jets. This is largely due to the power of their batteries or how long they can fly without recharging.

Is Sustainable Air Travel Possible?

So, is sustainable air travel possible? Yes, certainly, but perhaps not in the same way we travel now. If electric aircraft is the future of sustainable aviation, passengers may have to cut down on long-haul flights. Depending on battery developments, passengers may have to rely on alternative modes of transportation.

IATA argues its goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050 is feasible, but some carriers aren’t convinced. Beyond 2050, therefore, long-haul travel may be threatened depending on the availability of sustainable aviation fuel. Although still in its infancy, E-Kerosene presents a promising alternative to crop and waste-oil-based biofuels, but only time (and further research) will tell if this is viable.

Even short-haul flights – which, judging by price proposals , may be replaced by train rides – may be declared entirely unsustainable in the long term. Although consumer and carrier interest in electric aircraft demonstrates the potential for further research on longer-lasting batteries, it remains uncertain if passengers can fly as much as they do now.

What do you think about the future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel? Do you think more steps should be taken towards sustainable air travel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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How Airlines are Making Air Travel More Sustainable

In our last blog, we explained that the travel industry as a whole is showing genuine commitment to improving its environmental sustainability .

The global aviation industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases, accounting for approximately 2.5-3% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

It is therefore, no surprise that environmental, social & governance (ESG) is one of the most mentioned themes in airports and airline annual and quarterly filings.

And with the introduction of 'Fly Net Zero by 2050' policies, it's never been more important for the aviation sector to commit to sustainability.

The goal of net zero by 2050 will require the full aviation industry (airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers) to reduce its emissions by a significant amount.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) have said that achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will require a combination of maximum elimination of emissions at the source, offsetting and new technology.

The aviation industry's carbon footprint is projected to grow significantly following the rise in demand for air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic. This makes it crucial for airlines to adopt sustainable practices to mitigate their impact on the environment & help reduce climate change.

Why is sustainability important in the global aviation industry?

As we've covered, the aviation industry is responsible for a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution and various other negative impacts which have significant consequences on climate change.

That said, the aviation sector is under increasing pressure to prioritise sustainability due to growing public awareness and concern about many environmental issues including global warming, climate impact & air quality. Global airlines that do not invest in greener air travel may face reputational damage and a loss of customers who are concerned about the environmental impact of their travel.

For corporate entities, it's important to choose an air travel partner that fly in a more sustainable way as it can demonstrate their commitment to reducing their carbon emissions throughout the business year.

Choosing a trusted travel management partner can help businesses demonstrate that commitment to sustainability by:

Implementing carbon offsetting programs

Selecting sustainable travel suppliers

Encouraging sustainable air travel practices

Providing data on travel patterns

Help create a pathway to achieve net zero carbon emissions

Educate employees on sustainable travel practices

What is the aviation sector doing to become more sustainable?

Fortunately, many airlines are already taking steps to reduce their carbon emissions and improve sustainability across their operations. From investing in alternative fuels to implementing sustainable supply chain practices, airlines are making significant progress towards creating a greener future for air travel.

Sustainable aviation fuels

One of the primary ways that airlines are moving towards net zero emissions is through investing in sustainable aviation fuels. The international civil aviation organization (ICAO) defines sustainable aviation fuel as renewable or waste-derived fuels that meets globally-accepted environmental standards.

According to IATA, sustainable aviation fuels will make a 65% contribution to achieving net zero carbon emission by 2050.

Many airlines have already invested in sustainable aviation fuels and have reported a carbon reduction rate of up to 80% compared with the traditional jet fuel currently used.

New technology

Manufacturers have made significant improvements to aircrafts over the years and will continue to explore, adopt and invest in new technologies to improve existing and new models.

Many airlines are replacing older, less efficient planes with newer models that use advanced technologies to reduce fuel consumption and co2 emissions. For instance, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 are two popular models that offer up to 25% more fuel efficiency than their predecessors.

These aircraft use lightweight materials, such as carbon fiber composites, to reduce weight and are designed with more efficient engines and aerodynamics.

In addition, some airlines are using data analytics and artificial intelligence to optimize flight routes and reduce fuel consumption. By analyzing factors such as wind patterns and air traffic, airlines can identify the most fuel-efficient routes for each flight, reducing both emissions and costs.

Making the supply chain more sustainable

In addition to investing in more fuel-efficient planes, airlines are also implementing sustainable supply chain practices. For instance, some airlines are working with suppliers to source sustainable biofuels that can replace traditional jet fuel.

These biofuels are made from renewable sources, such as agricultural waste or algae, and can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.

Reducing inflight single-use plastic waste

Another way that airlines are improving sustainability is through waste reduction and recycling initiatives. Many are working to minimize waste by replacing single-use plastic products with more sustainable alternatives, such as biodegradable cutlery and recycled paper products.

Some airlines are also implementing recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Educating passengers on sustainable air travel

Many airlines are offering carbon offset programs that allow passengers to offset the emissions from their flights by investing in carbon reduction projects around the world, which range from renewable energy to reforestation.

Some airlines are also providing education and resources to help passengers reduce their carbon footprint while traveling, such as tips for packing light, minimizing waste and reducing unnecessary additional trips.

How are today's airlines making operational improvements to enhance sustainability?

Airlines are taking significant steps towards creating a more sustainable future for air travel. From investing in fuel-efficient planes to implementing sustainable supply chain practices, airlines are making progress towards reducing their carbon emissions and minimizing their impact on the environment. Here are our top 5 sustainable initiatives for 2023.

KLM continues to integrate sustainable aviation fuels into their expansive fleet

KLM is arguably the most innovative carrier when it comes to integrating Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) into their expansive fleet of aircrafts. KLM’s first milestone was way back in 2011 when it was the first airline to complete a commercial flight partly powered by fuel made from used cooking oil.

Now in 2023, all flights departing their hub at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam has a blend of at least 1% of SAF, which has doubled from 2022. The positive movement over the last year means they are well on their way to achieving their goal of 10% by 2030.

Unfortunately, sustainable aviation fuel has yet to be available on a large scale, meaning that it is extremely expensive to buy. Just a very small part of the millions of tons of jet fuel used by commercial airlines is SAF. Because of this, it is crucial for KLM's commercial airline passengers to contribute to their sustainability vision by adding an SAF option to their booking.

Lufthansa Group innovate to reduce drag during flights

Lufthansa Group of airlines have adopted an innovative solution inspired by nature to reduce drag during flight. Their latest technology, AeroSHARK, is a bionic adhesive film applied to the surface of their aircraft.

It replicates the skin of sharks to optimize the airflow around the aircraft while flying, enabling significant reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions. 

In 2021, aircrafts that had been fitted with AeroSHARK prevented ~26,800 tonnes of co2 emissions and saved ~8,500 tonnes of kerosene. In 2022, all SWISS & Lufthansa Boeing 777 aircrafts will be fitted with AeroSHARK.

In addition to this they are also exploring two exciting innovations as a solution for tomorrow.

Sun-to-Liquid (StL)

The StL procedure uses concentrated sunlight, using mirrors, to produce carbon-neutral kerosene. Lufthansa would be the first airline in the world to fly with it and have since stated that SWISS will be the first airline to fly with this solar fuel worldwide.

Power-to-Liquid (PtL)

PtL technology produces sustainable aviation fuels from the likes of green electricity, water and CO2. Lufthansa Group will be the first customer for the world's first PtL jet fuel made on an industrial scale.

Widerøe on track to have the first zero-emissions plane

In 2019,  Nordic regional airline Widerøe entered into a collaboration with Rolls-Royce on the development of zero-emissions aircrafts.  The aim of the project is to develop an electric aircraft which both meets the Norwegian net zero carbon emissions target for 2030, and ultimately replaces Widerøe’s fleet of fossil fuel-powered aircrafts on the domestic short runway network. 

They recently announced that this initiative is on track to have the first zero-emissions plane flying by 2026. It plans to have zero emissions planes replace its Dash 8-100 and Dash 8-200 planes with either electric- or hydrogen-powered planes between 2030 and 2035.

Emirates continues to invest in eco-efficient technologies

Emirates’ policy of investing in the most modern, eco‑efficient technology available means they have one of the youngest fleets in the industry. The environmental benefits of operating a modern wide‑body fleet include both reduced noise and lower engine emissions. 

Emirates have for a number of years adopted many initiatives to reduce their impact on the planet such as fuel savings during taxing and landing, regularly cleaning their aircrafts with a water saving dry wash procedure & all blankets on long‑haul flights are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles to only mention a few.

EasyJet lowers the CO2 percentage per passenger

Mitigating your impact on the environment doesn't necessarily mean huge investments and ground breaking technologies.

When you consider the carbon footprint of a single flight, the more people that are onboard lowers the co2 percentage per passenger.  As a low cost airline, it choses co2 efficiencies on every journey over luxury offering such as spacious business class cabins. EasyJet achieves this simply by ensuring the majority of flights are full of passengers. 

Couple that with the mass introduction of Airbus NEO aircrafts, which are at least 15% more fuel efficient and also have a 50% noise reduction. All these measures mean that since 2000, easyJet have reduced their carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third. 

Choose a trusted travel partner to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability

The aviation industry is taking significant steps towards creating a more sustainable future for air travel. By implementing new initiatives, airlines are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and helping to minimize their impact on the environment.

At Clyde Travel Management , we put sustainability at the heart of everything we do. If your business is looking for a more sustainable air travel partner, contact our team today to explore your options.

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21 May 2024

Airbus, delta, plug power, hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport study feasibility of hydrogen hub at world’s busiest airport.

Atlanta, 21 May 2024 – Airbus, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Delta Air Lines and Plug Power have joined forces to study the feasibility of a hydrogen-based hub at the world’s busiest airport in support of advancing a more sustainable future of travel. The study, which preliminarily launched earlier this year, will help define the infrastructure, operational viability, and safety and security requirements needed to implement hydrogen as a potential fuel source for future aircraft operations at ATL. It will also contribute to the understanding of supply and infrastructure requirements for hydrogen hubs at airports worldwide.

The use of hydrogen to power future aircraft could ultimately eliminate aircraft CO2 emissions in the air while also decarbonizing air transport activities on the ground – a top priority for all of the partners as they work toward the decarbonization of the aviation industry. 

Airbus pioneers sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world. The company constantly innovates to provide efficient and technologically-advanced solutions in aerospace. Airbus is currently developing the first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft with the ambition to enter into service in 2035. Airbus launched the “Hydrogen Hub at Airports'' program to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations across the entire value chain. To date, agreements have been signed with partners and airports in thirteen countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

“The U.S. has easy and massive access to additional renewable energies to produce green hydrogen, and airports are looking for a diverse and balanced energy mix to be more resilient and help reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. Hydrogen is a key enabler for this,” said Karine Guénan, Airbus’ Vice President ZEROe Ecosystem. “The journey to prepare airport infrastructure to support hydrogen and low carbon aviation begins on the ground with pre-feasibility studies like this one, working with pioneer players like Delta, Plug and the world’s busiest airport.”

“Hartsfield-Jackson has long been a leader in the commercial aviation industry, and it only makes sense that we help lead this effort,” said ATL Senior Deputy General Manager Michael Smith. “If hydrogen proves to be a viable alternative, ATL will investigate options to update infrastructure needs in order to implement the new technology. We are thrilled to participate in this study and look forward to the results.”

As part of the study, ATL is providing the current airport layout plan and organization and will share updates on future developments and findings. 

Plug Power is a leading provider of equipment and end-to-end, turnkey solutions for the global green hydrogen economy. The company is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem including the manufacture of electrolyzers, fuel cells and hydrogen facilities across the United States to decarbonize a variety of industrial, transportation and energy needs and applications worldwide.

“The potential to decarbonize aviation with green hydrogen is substantial,” noted Plug CEO Andy Marsh. “We are pleased to contribute our expertise in hydrogen infrastructure and applications development to this pioneering effort at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We have a ready-made supply of green hydrogen to support the airport from our new Woodbine, Georgia, production plant, the largest green hydrogen plant in the U.S.”

Delta is the largest airline operating at the world’s busiest airport, and offers one of the largest commercial airline schedules globally. It has been a core partner in the Airbus ZEROe program since 2022, when it signed on to provide expertise to identify fleet and network expectations, and the operational and infrastructure requirements needed to develop commercial aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel. Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer Amelia Deluca said this study is part of Delta’s ongoing commitment and that no one company can solve the industry’s sustainability challenges alone. 

“All aviation stakeholders need to explore new paths in every direction today for the industry to achieve a more sustainable future of travel by 2050,” she said. “While we work to scale sustainable aviation fuel to power today’s aircraft, hydrogen is a key element to unlocking the decarbonized future of flight and the next generation of aviation. That’s why we are on this journey to help map the industry’s hydrogen blueprints with partners who share our passion for connecting the world.”

The study in Atlanta is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026.

Further information about the topic of hydrogen in aviation can be found at the following  link . 

@Airbus @Delta @ATLairport @PlugPowerInc #hydrogen #ZEROe #sustainability

Artist rendering of a hydrogen-powered ZEROe aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

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sustainability takes flight

Houston organizations launch study to explore hydrogen-powered travel.

A few major players have teamed up to look into making air travel more sustainable — and it's all happening in Houston.

The Center for Houston’s Future, Airbus, and Houston Airports have signed a memorandum of understanding intended to study the “feasibility of a hydrogen hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport." The study, which will conclude in March of 2025, will include the participants that will collaborate ways to rethink how their infrastructures could be designed and operated to reduce an overall environmental footprint, and lead to hydrogen-powered aircrafts like the ones Airbus plans to bring to fruition by 2035.

In 2020, Airbus debuted its ZEROe hydrogen-powered aircraft project. The “Hydrogen Hub at Airports'' concept by Airbus unites key airport ecosystem players to develop ways to decarbonize all airport-associated infrastructure with hydrogen. The study will include airport ground transportation, airport heating, end-use in aviation, and possibly ways to supply adjacent customers in transport and local industries.

The use of hydrogen to power future aircraft aims to assist in eliminating aircraft CO2 emissions in the air, and also can help decarbonize air transport on the ground. With Houston being such a large city, and a destination for some many visiting on business, the Houston airports was an easy spot to assign the study.

"Houston’s airports are experiencing tremendous growth, connecting our city to the world like never before,” Jim Szczesniak, the aviation director for the city of Houston, says in a news release. “As we continue to expand and modernize our facilities, participating in this sustainability study is crucial. Continuing to build a sustainable airport system will ensure a healthy future for Houston, attract top talent and businesses, and demonstrate our commitment to being a responsible global citizen.

"This study will provide us with valuable insights to guide our development and position Houston as a global leader in sustainable aviation innovation for generations to come.”

The CHF was a founding organizer of the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub, which was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of seven hydrogen hubs in the nation, and will work in the Houston area and the Gulf Coast. The HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub is eligible to receive up to $1.2 billion as part of a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to advance domestic hydrogen production.

“The Center for Houston’s Future is pleased to have played a crucial role in bringing together the partners for this study,” Brett Perlman, the center's outgoing CEO and president , adds. “With Houston’s role as the world’s energy capital, our record of energy innovation and desire to lead in the business of low-carbon energy, Houston is the perfect place to develop our airports as North American clean hydrogen pioneers.”

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Rtx’s collins aerospace and panasonic avionics unveil maya –the future of premium air travel, 05/27/24 | 3 min read.

– The reimagined suite for the next generation of tech-savvy passengers elevates the on-board experience, enhancing airline loyalty, passenger satisfaction, and profitability –

HAMBURG, Germany (May 28, 2024) – Collins Aerospace, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) today jointly unveiled MAYA, a transformative vision for a next-generation business class suite at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

MAYA combines Collins Aerospace and Panasonic Avionics’ respective expertise in design, technology development and integration into a singular integrated solution, providing a clear differentiator for the business class cabin by redefining comfort, passenger immersion, accessibility, and sustainability for the future air travel experience.

An Astrova Curve 45-inch ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition, OLED display with headphone-less audio system is the cinematic centerpiece of the suite, providing users unprecedented immersion, customization and feature rich personalized viewing experiences.

The suite is packed with technology, it seamlessly syncs to passenger electronic devices through the ADAPT™ controller, providing familiar, curated control of the seating environment and supporting advanced mobility, sensory, cognitive and language accommodations to passengers of varying abilities.

“MAYA is the fusion of enhanced physical, digital and smart technologies that exponentially enhance the cabin experience in ways individual solutions are unable to accomplish on their own,” said Ed Dryden, president of Interiors at Collins Aerospace. “Unprecedented customization and user control provides uniquely personal in-flight experiences – bridging historical gaps in accessibility, enabling multi-dimensional comfort and facilitating immersive in-flight entertainment.”

Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s CEO Ken Sain said: “MAYA is the product of the leading inflight technology provider and the largest airplane seat manufacturer collaborating to create the future of business class for the next generation of tech-savvy passengers. The seamlessly integrated 45” Astrova Curve OLED display is 3 times larger than typical screens and the first Ultra-Widescreen CinemaScope (21:9) display in the sky – the same screen format in cinemas. Based on seat geometry and viewing angles, MAYA delivers a 50% more immersive viewing experience than sitting in a theater.”

Built for luxury yet rooted within a sustainable framework, the MAYA suite utilizes recycled, reusable and plant-based materials along with STARLight™ composite structures to reduce production waste and improve product circularity.

The industrial design of the suite emphasizes modularity, supporting mid-life upgrades, simplifying disassembly processes and improving traceability with recycling streams.

MAYA suites are on display at the Panasonic Avionics (4A10) and Collins Aerospace (5B30) booths during the Aircraft Interiors Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, May 28-30.

About Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, is a leader in integrated and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Our 80,000 employees are dedicated to delivering future-focused technologies to advance sustainable and connected aviation, passenger safety and comfort, mission success, space exploration and more.

With more than 185,000 global employees, RTX pushes the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2023 sales of $69 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

About Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is the world’s leading supplier of in-flight entertainment and communication systems. The company pioneered the industry beginning in 1979 and has consistently introduced innovations that enable unique customer experiences and enhance airline loyalty (NPS), ancillary revenue, and operational efficiency.

Over 200 leading airlines across the world have chosen to install Panasonic Avionics IFE, satellite Wi-Fi connectivity, and digital services on their aircraft. Panasonic Avionics’ proven systems are supported by the largest, global support and services team utilizing OEM insights to ensure peak system performance.

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is headquartered in California with over 3,500 employees and operates in 50 locations around the globe.

For more information, contact:.

Brian Bardwell Senior Manager, Corporate Communications Tel: +1 949 462 1742 [email protected]   Charlie Hampton Tel: +44 (0)7884 187297 [email protected]

DHL Express Leads Green Air Transportation

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is becoming a critical component in the aviation industry's shift towards environmental sustainability. As an alternative to conventional jet fuels, SAF offers a way to help reduce the carbon footprint associated with air travel and freight.

This shift aligns with global environmental goals and reflects a growing trend in the business world towards sustainable practices. With its potential to reduce emissions and support corporate sustainability initiatives, SAF is at the forefront of transforming air transportation into a more eco-friendly operation.

But how does it contribute to a more sustainable future? This blog delves into what SAF is and its significance in the aviation industry.

The business case for adopting SAF

The shift towards SAF is not merely an environmental imperative  but a strategic business decision. For businesses, particularly those with significant logistics and transportation needs, integrating SAF into their operations offers a dual advantage.

Economically, it positions companies as forward-thinking, environmentally responsible entities, enhancing their brand reputation and appealing to a growing demographic of eco-conscious consumers. Environmentally, SAF reduces carbon emissions, contributing to the global fight against climate change and helping businesses meet their corporate social responsibility objectives.

Adopting sustainable fuel also aligns with corporate sustainability goals, providing a path for companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices. By opting for sustainable aviation and low-carbon transportation, businesses can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, setting a precedent in their respective industries for environmental stewardship.

DHL Express’ leadership in SAF implementation

Recognising the role of SAF in achieving environmental sustainability, DHL Express has made substantial investments in this green alternative. In early 2022, the company solidified its commitment by entering into two of the industry's most significant agreements. Through partnerships with bp and Neste, DHL committed to purchasing over 800 million litres of SAF, spanning up to 2026. This initiative was further expanded in 2023 when DHL Express and World Energy entered into a seven-year deal, set to continue through 2030, aiming to accelerate the decarbonisation of aviation by securing around 668 million litres of SAF via SAFc.

Beyond these purchases, DHL Express is actively involved in enhancing the credibility and transparency of SAF-related emissions reporting. This includes collaborating with Neste and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) to develop a new system that allows airlines, logistics providers, and end customers to accurately report their emissions reductions when they opt for SAF.

Challenges in SAF adoption and overcoming them

While the transition to SAF presents numerous benefits, it's not without challenges. Businesses often grapple with high production costs, limited availability of SAF, and a complex regulatory landscape. However, DHL Express' journey offers valuable insights into navigating these challenges.

The company's approach includes forming strategic partnerships, making targeted investments in SAF production, and actively participating in policy advocacy to create a more supportive regulatory environment. For businesses looking to embark on this journey, DHL Express' model provides a roadmap, highlighting the importance of collaboration, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

Regulatory landscape and incentives for SAF

The regulatory framework for SAF is evolving, with governments and international regulatory bodies increasingly recognising the need to support the transition to more sustainable aviation fuels. Various incentives, including tax breaks and subsidies, are being introduced to encourage businesses to make this transition, creating a more favourable environment for adopting SAF.

DHL Express plays an active role in shaping this regulatory landscape, engaging with policymakers to advocate for regulations and policies that support the broader use of SAF. This engagement highlights the importance of a collaborative approach between the private sector and regulatory bodies in facilitating the shift towards more sustainable aviation practices.

How businesses can get involved with SAF

For businesses inspired by DHL Express’ commitment to sustainability and interested in contributing to the green future of aviation, the path begins with several practical steps. Engaging with SAF suppliers, exploring available government incentives, and setting clear sustainability targets are initial steps that businesses can take. Additionally, tapping into resources and support systems, such as industry consortia and sustainability networks, can provide valuable guidance and opportunities for collaboration.

Discover the sustainable future of aviation with DHL Express

As the aviation sector progresses towards sustainability, the role of SAF becomes ever more critical. DHL Express' pioneering efforts in adopting SAF not only demonstrate the company's commitment to environmental stewardship but also serve as an inspiration for the broader business community.

By adopting SAF and  embracing green logistics , companies can contribute to a sustainable future, redefining corporate sustainability standards in the process. With  DHL Express  as your partner in  overseas shipping  and logistics, the journey towards sustainable aviation becomes a possibility and a tangible reality.

Open a business account with DHL Express and embrace the sustainable future of transportation today.

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Ras Al Khaimah to start sustainable air transport service by 2027

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Ras Al Khaimah wants tourists to get around to its attractions in flying taxi. —AFP

Located next to the Sultanate of Oman and Dubai, the small emirate of Ras Al Khaimah plans to offer an electric air taxi service from 2027 to take tourists to its main tourist attractions, such as Jebel Jais, the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates.

Wadi Bih, the largest canyon in the UAE, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Queen of Sheba’s Palace, Dhayah Fort are some of the must-see sights in the small emirate that is increasingly making a name for itself, giving some competition to its more famous neighbours Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Ras Al Khaimah’s investment in tourism is likely to get even more attention as the small emirate has unveiled a plan to transport visitors to tourist sites in electric flying taxis.

Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism development and transport authorities have signed a partnership agreement with Skyports Infrastructure, a company that designs and operates vertiports for electric air taxis, in collaboration with manufacturers of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL).

The aim is to provide “fast and convenient zero-emission transport” to the island of Al Marjan and Jebel Jais, the highest peak in the UAE. Service is set to start in 2027. One big advantage, of course, is shorter travel times. Between the island of Al Marjan and Jebel Jais, the journey takes at least 70 minutes by car, whereas with an electric air taxi, the journey will take just 20 minutes. But time saving is not the only reason for this project.

Still relatively under the radar as a tourist destination, Ras Al Khaimah is actively working to change that and become a key stopping point in the UAE, with the goal of welcoming 3.5 million visitors by 2030. And to set itself apart from its more famous neighbors, as well as from the large-scale projects Saudi Arabia has in the works, the small emirate wedged wants to demonstrate that building up more tourist activity is not incompatible with responsible environmental actions, provided that sustainable solutions are thought through.

“This partnership marks a pivotal moment in our efforts to revolutionise transportation in Ras Al Khaimah. By introducing electric air mobility, we’re not just connecting tourists to our attractions, we’re forging a sustainable path forward for our Emirate. This innovative project aligns perfectly with our commitment to enhancing accessibility while minimising our environmental impact.... Together, we’re shaping a brighter, greener future for Ras Al Khaimah,” explains Esmaeel Hasan Al Blooshi, director-general of the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority. – AFP Relaxnews

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Tags / Keywords: UAE , Ras Al Khaimah , Air , Taxi , Zero Emission , Convenient , Al Marjan , Jebel Jais , Sheikh Zayed Mosque , Queen of Sheba’s Palace , tourism , sustainable tourism

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5 female founders leading the charge for a sustainable future.

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These 5 female founders are recipients of the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge 2023.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are a set of 17 global objectives established in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They aim to address a range of critical issues facing the world, including poverty, gender inequality, environmental degradation, and ensuring prosperity and peace for all. Each goal is interconnected, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to achieve sustainable development.

The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is the first-of-its-kind global competition for social entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN SDGs and inspiring entire communities to act to create the world we want. Funded primarily by the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the Challenge has been providing vital support to women environmental leaders since 2018.

Here are the 5 innovative women entrepreneurs (WE) who won the 2023 Challenge. These leaders from around the world are pushing forward sustainable business practices and inspiring others to follow suit. As Awardees, they enjoy capacity-building training sessions and opportunities to connect with an unparalleled global network to advance their enterprises.

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With a population of about 100 million, Egypt is one of the most densely populated and polluted countries in the world. Dosy aims to encourage women and girls in Egypt to ride scooters and bicycles by connecting them with riding instructors. Not only does Dosy create employment opportunities for women, but it also helps reduce traffic congestion and pollution. As it is against social norms for females to ride scooters and bicycles in Egypt, Dosy furthermore helps to shift those norms.

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Cofounder and CEO Menna Farouk is a journalist and entrepreneur whose purpose is to help people who face injustices. “By facilitating scooter and bicycle lessons, Dosy empowers women and girls with the confidence and skill to navigate their surroundings independently. We also break down gender barriers in transportation, which could lead to women having more freedom and control over their movement,” she said in an exclusive interview with me.

Farouk advises aspiring change makers to identify their passion. Also, she says, “Do not let limited resources hold you back. Think outside the box and find creative solutions. See challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Persistence is key to making a lasting impact.”

Diana Mbogo is the Founder and Managing Director of Millennium Engineers Enterprises.

2. Diana Mbogo (Tanzania), Founder and Managing Director of Millennium Engineers Enterprises

Millennium Engineers Enterprises Ltd is a female-founded and led social enterprise that specializes in renewable energy. Currently, their Sardine Fishing Industry business project is working to transition the low-income sardine fishing industry in Lake Victoria away from pressurized kerosene/LED lead acid powered batteries lamps and conventional methods of sardine drying towards more climate-friendly solar drying facilities.

Diana Mbogo is the founder and managing director of Millennium Engineers. “My work gives me the opportunity to serve the most vulnerable communities,” she said in an exclusive interview with me. Even though funding was suspended during the Covid pandemic and she already had drained all her savings to support the business, she rallied Mbogo cut all unnecessary administrative costs, and was able to secure the first $0.5M in financing by 2021.

“Challenges are the most beautiful opportunities,” Mbogo says. “Integrity will open more doors for you than your skills can. Remember, our greatest moment is now!”

Andrea ‘Andy’ Blair is the Cofounder and Director of Business and Innovation at Upflow.

3. Andrea ‘Andy’ Blair (New Zealand), Cofounder and Director of Business and Innovation at Upflow

Upflow is a geothermal research and innovation company based in New Zealand. Upflow assembles expert teams to work on cutting-edge technologies and fosters interdisciplinary approaches to build real-world solutions rooted in geothermal environments. The company also aims to ignite a movement that harnesses the power of STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts & Math) to solve humanity’s most pressing challenges.

“My mission is to empower humans to achieve things they never dreamed possible,” said Andrea ‘Andy’ Blair, cofounder and director of business and innovation at Upflow, in an exclusive interview with me.

The greatest challenge Blair has faced with Upflow is money. “We are constantly being challenged by the tension between the need for cashflow and saying no to work that doesn’t align with our purpose,” she says. The work we are doing doesn’t fit ‘the norm.’ Navigating this landscape requires resilience, persistence, creativity and a steadfast commitment to our purpose-driven vision, despite the constant obstacles.”

Blair has this advice for aspiring change makers. “No doesn’t mean the end, no just means you have to find another way around! Don’t worry about all the bad stats and scary stuff, just stay focused on your purpose, hold your head up and push hard. Also, we can no longer simply wait and hope for fairness. We need all genders to help us get there! This is not a women’s problem – this is a societal problem.”

Karin Sempf is the CEO and Founder of Innova Nation.

4. Karin Sempf (Panama), CEO and Founder of Innova Nation

Innova Nation is an educational lab focused on motivating and empowering the upcoming generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and sustainability advocates. They provide interactive learning opportunities for children and teenagers aged 8-18, helping them foster creativity, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities while simultaneously encouraging them to explore their interests and ideas. So far, Innova Nation’s programs have impacted the lives of more than 10,500 students at over 90 schools.

Founder and CEO Karin Sempf is a purpose-driven entrepreneur. It was only after 10 years of owning her first business that she understood her strengths and how to harness them in favor of her passions. This led her to make a change in her career and create Innova Nation.

“My life’s purpose is to connect with the youth and find meaningful ways to help them understand the power of their ideas,” Sempf said in an exclusive interview with me. “At a larger scope, my purpose is to catalyze sustainable change through entrepreneurship and innovation in Latin America.”

Sempf advises aspiring change maker to welcome disruption – the kind of disruption that starts with empathy and curiosity, breaks the status quo but has a deeper purpose. “Start connecting the dots and create the world you want by harnessing who you are and by tapping into communities with similar purposes,” she says.

Susan Blanchet (Canada) is the CEO and Founder of Origen Air.

5. Susan Blanchet (Canada), CEO and Founder of Origen Air

Origen Air is on a mission is to create biophilic rooftop oases that metabolize toxins and purify indoor air. Buildings now represent 40% of emissions. By connecting to HVAC systems, Origen systems produce efficient and sustainable living air purifiers using genetically modified plants that are 92x more effective at removing toxins from the air.

Susan Blanchet is the founder and CEO of Origen Air. As a teen, she was inspired by reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to do something about the human-made toxins in our environment. So, she went into environmental law. Then, at only 51, her father was diagnosed with early onset dementia, which she linked to his work in wastewater treatment plants. Since she couldn’t litigate better air, she learned how to clean it.

Origen has quickly built an international brand with large clients, won international recognition as climate leaders, brought in over $1.8M in funding and is positioned to access more government funding. Still, the greatest challenge they have faced is access to capital.

“My mantra is ‘I will not fail,” said Blanchet in an exclusive interview with me. “Many times as a female leader in the climate space, I have come extremely close to failing. My advice is to develop a network of key women and male supporters that you can reach out to in these difficult times to provide warm introductions. Go to events to meet like-minded people. And never stop promoting your brand.”

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