Taking action to decarbonise

ERA is to launch its second Green and Sustainable Flying report at this year’s ERA General Assembly, showcasing the different initiatives and projects being undertaken by its members to address the challenge of decarbonising aviation. Regional International provides an introduction to the report.

Not flying is not an option for many people given the benefits that aviation brings, and passengers should not be faced with the dilemma ‘to fly or not fly’, we should rather strive to fly sustainably.” This quote featured in ERA’s first Green and Sustainable Connectivity report, published in May 2020, and still stands strong today. The report, outlining ERA members’ initiatives in the fight against climate change, was compiled prior to the pandemic. Nonetheless, now, more than two years on, ERA is publishing its second edition, once again showcasing its members’ green and sustainable initiatives; emphasising that, whilst the COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the industry, environmental issues are still very much at the top of the agenda for the aviation sector and ERA’s members.

Aviation’s benefits to Europe’s society and economy are well known. The sector has increased connectivity throughout the regions in Europe, contributed to economic development, and greatly facilitated the transportation of goods. During the last decade, passenger traffic has enjoyed remarkable growth, despite being adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. However, in recent years, political and public scrutiny and pressure on the industry has increased. The forecasted climate impact has resulted in sustainability and aviation’s environmental impact becoming a top priority at both an international and European level.

Clear commitments
This is a key period in time for climate change policies in the aviation industry. This month, the 41st International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly will agree on the global sector’s Long Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) and review the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Currently discussions are taking place in Europe on the Fit for 55 (Ff55) package, a set of proposals that will allow the European economy to achieve the EU’s goal of 55 per cent reduction of CO2 by 2030, economy wide.

Nonetheless, the aviation sector has focussed on solutions to reduce its carbon footprint for many years and since the first edition of this report was published, ERA has shown this through its commitment to the Aviation Round Table (ART) report – which outlines the main asks of the industry to regulators to recover from the crisis and identifies sustainability as a key achievement to meet in order for the sector to build back better – and Destination 2050: A route to net zero European aviation – which shows alignment with the EU’s own climate goals by addressing four pillars: improvement in technology,
improvement in ATM and operations, use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and use of smart economic measures, such as EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and CORSIA.

Equally, in February 2022, the Toulouse Declaration, the first-ever public-private initiative supporting aviation’s decarbonisation goals, was signed by 35 European countries and 146 industry stakeholders (including the Destination 2050 partners). The Declaration is fully aligned with the sector’s collective European and global initiative (Waypoint 2050) to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
 

Short-haul’s essential role
Throughout Europe especially, national measures are either being developed or proposed that could slow down the advancement of sustainability in the sector, such as proposals of EU or national ‘green’ taxes and the banning of short-haul routes. As such, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector, it is necessary that policymakers develop the right policy framework that will allow the sector to decarbonise.

Regional airlines are the most vulnerable to these proposals, despite emitting a small fraction of emissions (4.3 per cent of European air transport emissions1). This sector finds itself in a conflict between innovation and the political and public pressure to reduce passenger volumes, as recently there have been various announcements throughout Europe on the banning of short-haul routes in order to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. The regional sector is finding itself justifying the very purpose of its existence: providing connectivity in European regions.

The regional market presents a different type of demand and services that render regional airlines unique and essential in some regions, for example, where there is no alternative to flying. ERA’s airline members provide vital connectivity and support for Europe’s regions, promoting social and territorial equality and cohesion, as well as contributing to increased tourism and investment. All of this leads to positive social impacts as it facilitates European integration and contributes to sustainable development by providing essential transport links and job creation.

However, the regional sector, characterised by short-haul flights, lends itself to new and clean technologies and should be the forerunner for testing and selecting the right technology needed to decarbonise the industry. The short-haul segment is creating the necessary push towards the decarbonisation of the sector, providing the testing ground for new technologies that will enable the green transition to a more sustainable industry. Electric and hydrogenpowered aircraft, for example, will first be made available on short-haul routes by 2035 and then on longer routes beyond 2050.

Multi-pillar approach
This Green and Sustainable Flying report, therefore, outlines the work undertaken by regional aviation stakeholders, particularly our airlines, to tackle environmental concerns, sharing the initiatives of: Air Corsica; Air Nostrum; Amelia; Flugfelag Islands (Icelandair); KLM Cityhopper; SATA Açores Airlines; and SKY express, as well as Collins Aerospace; Universal Hydrogen; and ZeroAvia. 

Initiatives being implemented show work being conducted across the sustainability spectrum, including: fuel use reduction;
optimisation of fuel lift; route optimisation via, for example, flight planning system software; accurate planning information; reduction of taxi time when permitted; optimum take-off configuration; optimum take-off thrust; minimising auxiliary power unit (APU) usage; air conditioning set-up during taxi, take off and flight operations; optimum landing procedures; continuous climb and descent operations (CCO/CDO); satellite-based vertical approaches; aerodynamic optimisation (e.g. via engine washing); and weight reduction.

Nonetheless, this list is non-exhaustive as it outlines only a few, recent examples. These will be updated on a recurring basis as ERA members launch new initiatives and projects. The full report will be made available on the ERA website following the ERA General Assembly, taking place in Vilamoura, Portugal, 11–13 October 2022. 

1 EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot #4 on CO2 emissions by flight distance.