Flying greener

As the COP26 set new goals and timelines for reduction of carbon emissions worldwide, the aviation industry, which contributes only around two per cent of the total human-induced CO2 emissions, came up with its own initiative to achieve the targets in line with the Glasgow declaration. In his concluding remarks, COP26 President Alok Sharma had said "We now have the Glasgow Climate Pact in place. We have kept 1.5 (degrees Celsius) within reach, but the pulse is weak. Now, countries must meet and deliver on the commitments made at COP26."

On November 10, in response to the overwhelming sentiments at the COP26, about 20 countries launched the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition (IACAC), committing to work with each other and the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), "to reduce aviation CO2 emissions at a rate consistent with the efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius." The nations included four of the six largest passenger aviation markets — the US, China, Ireland, the UK, and Japan. India, which holds the fourth spot, signed the pact but did not join the coalition. IACAC members, the aviation industry and other stakeholders, however, agreed that the group's formation is only a prelude to the real business at hand — a series of meetings to be hosted by the ICAO next year to hammer out an industry-wide net-zero plan.

Aviation industry and CO2 emissions

The aviation industry comprises almost 1,478 airlines that operate 33,300 aircrafts, serving 3,780 airports through a route of several million kilometres — managed by 162 air navigation providers. As per data provided by International Air Transport Association (IATA), Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) and the UN's ICAO, all flights together produced 915 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019. Globally, humans produced over 43 billion tonnes of CO2. The global aviation industry is responsible for 12 per cent of CO2 emissions from all transport sources, compared to 74 per cent from road transport. In 2019, 4.5 billion passengers were carried by the airlines the world over. While air transport carries around 0.5 per cent of the volume of world trade shipments, it is over 35 per cent by value – meaning that goods shipped by air are very high value commodities, often perishable or time-sensitive. At the same time, nearly 88 million jobs were supported worldwide in aviation and related tourism before the Covid-19 hit the industry. Of this, 11.3 million people worked directly in the aviation industry.

Net-zero emissions by 2050

At the COP26, the global air transport industry adopted a long-term climate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This updated an earlier industry-wide goal set in 2009, and came after a resolution adopted by the IATA to adopt a net-zero goal. In the COP26 declaration, representatives of the world's major aviation industry associations and largest aircraft and engine makers committed that "global civil aviation operations will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by accelerated efficiency measures, energy transition and innovation across the aviation sector and in partnership with governments around the world."

Airlines — including Airbus and Boeing — have been experimenting with bio-fuel as an alternative to fossil fuel since mid-2000. On February 24, 2008, British carrier Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to successfully flight test a Boeing 747, equipped with GE engines, using a 20 per cent blend of a bio-jet fuel derived from babassu and coconut oil. At the same time, Airbus launched its alternative fuel research programme with the 3-hour flight of an Airbus 380 between the UK and France, fuelled by a Gas to Liquids (GTL) blend. Boeing, Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce also operated a biofuel demonstration flight in the second half of 2008 using an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines. Boeing has been actively exploring second-generation biofuel feedstocks and processes that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases. A decade later, no-frills carrier — SpiceJet — operated India's first test flight powered by bio-jet fuel in August 2018. The nearly 45-minute flight from Dehradun to Delhi was operated with a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially powered by bio-jet fuel made from Jatropha plant.

Through such continued experimentations, alternative fuels — particularly sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) — have been identified as excellent candidates for helping achieve the industry climate targets. SAFs, derived from sources such as algae, jatropha or waste by-products, have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80 per cent over their full lifecycle. Besides, the aircraft and engine manufacturers have also improved considerably on fuel-saving technologies, claiming that the jet aircraft in service across the world today are well over 80 per cent more fuel efficient per seat kilometre than the first jet planes in the 1960s. The new Airbus A380 and A220, Boeing 787, ATR-600 and Embraer E2 aircraft use less than three litres of jet fuel per 100 passengers per kilometre. This matches the efficiency of most modern compact cars. ATAG chief Haldane Dodd said that the aviation industry's emissions targets confirmed the commitment of the world's airlines, airports, air traffic management and the makers of aircraft and engines to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in support of the Paris Agreement. Aviation is the only sector to have made such a global commitment, he added. A report, 'Waypoint 2050', released at COP26, outlined credible paths for the air transport sector to reach net-zero. It said a mix of new technology, including potentially shifting to electricity and hydrogen for some shorter services, improvements in operations and infrastructure and a transition to sustainable aviation fuel by mid-century, would provide a majority of the carbon reductions. Remaining emissions could be captured using carbon removal measures. "Despite having endured the greatest crisis in aviation history, this net-zero 2050 goal shows that our sector has placed climate action as one of its highest priorities," Dodd said at the COP26 event.

Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, said "airlines are on the pathway to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. We all want the freedom to fly sustainably. Reaching net-zero emissions will be a huge task, requiring the collective effort of industry and support from governments. This is particularly true of sustainable aviation fuels, which will play a major role in addressing aviation's environmental impact — they need the right incentives from governments to ramp-up production."

Views expressed are personal