The industry with a plan: aviation`s winning strategy

LUFTHANSA INTRODUCES
NEW SEATS - SLIMLINED AND
READY TO SAVE FUEL
AIR NEW ZEALAND ASPIRES
TO REDUCE EMISSIONS ON
TRANS-PACIFIC FLIGHTS
WINGS OF A DIFFERENT KIND:
EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT
INSTALLS WIND TURBINES
FACTS & FIGURES: IF
AVIATION WERE A COUNTRY,
IT WOULD RANK 21st IN GDP
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
PAGE 5
BACK PAGE
SPECIAL EDITION: IATA AND
CANSO ANNUAL MEETINGS IN
SINGAPORE AND BANGKOK
Green Flight Times
Edition #5
www.enviro.aero
January - May 2011
Produced by ATAG
Environmental news from across the aviation industry
SINGAPORE – In keeping with its ongoing drive towards more environmentallyfriendly operations, Singapore Airlines has
launched e-Magazines, an electronic version
of international magazines, on its KrisWorld
inflight entertainment system. In addition to
the existing collection of printed publications,
the new selection of 20 major magazine titles
will offer customers wider access to quality
reading materials without additional paper
copies being carried on board.
Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to provide this feature across its Airbus
A380 and Boeing 777-300ER fleets which
are equipped with the latest inflight entertainment system.
SilverKris, Singapore Airline’s travel magazine, the airline’s inflight sales catalogue
and the inflight entertainment guide were the
first publications to be featured as part of a
trial in July 2010. Beginning this month, the
selection will be expanded to include international magazine titles such as The Economist,
Bloomberg Businessweek, Wall Street Journal Magazine, Prestige and Elle Magazine.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines Cargo
has signed a three-year agreement for Pratt
& Whitney’s environmentally friendly EcoPower engine wash service which is expected
to reduce fuel burn by as much as 1.2% on
each aircraft it is used on.
Thai Airways and Aerothai join AsiaPacific flight efficiency initiative
Captain Kittivaj Mongkonpruthangkoon, Chief Test Pilot and Flight Officer Naruj
Komalarajun, VP of Operations Support Department pilot Thai’s first ASPIRE flight.
BANGKOK – Thai Airways International
and Thailand’s national air traffic control provider Aerothai have recently joined the Asia
and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), which is designed to make
aircraft operations more efficient in order to
reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions.
A demonstration roundtrip flight from
Bangkok to Auckland took place in early May
in the form of a ‘perfect flight’, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and be environmentally friendly by utilising the most efficient,
advanced technologies and procedures.
Flight officer Naruj Komalarajun said that
the ASPIRE flight was a good opportunity to
demonstrate Thai Airways’ fuel management
best practices, which the airline has been
implementing since 2008, reducing unnecessary weight on aircraft and reducing carbon
dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions.
In preparation for the flight, operated by a
Boeing 777-200ER, the aircraft underwent an
engine wash to help reduce fuel consumption
by 0.6% and an airframe wash for aerodynamic efficiency.
The airline reported that the best practices
deployed allowed the flight to decrease fuel
consumption by around 2%. The success
of the ASPIRE flight will support flight operation standards that generate effective fuel
consumption and reduce carbon dioxide
emission.
CANSO identifies key opportunities for
improving fuel efficiency
SEATTLE – CANSO’s environment workgroup has outlined key opportunities for improving fuel efficiency and noise management at a special meeting with more than 40 aviation
operations and environment experts aviation experts in Seattle. The group explored data on the
benefits of reducing speed enroute to absorb necessary delay during periods of terminal area
congestion. Best practice indicates managing speed control by engaging pilots with controlled
times of arrival will utilise the current aircraft ability to minimise fuel. The group also supported the continued need for optimised profile descent or continuous descent operations in
non-busy periods. CANSO Environment Programme Manager Tim Rees said, “competitive
pressures in the current system encourage flights to rush to their destination – burning extra
fuel along the way – only to absorb delay inefficiently holding in the terminal area. Worldwide
experience indicates that increasing collaboration and allowing pilots to adjust speed to meet
an arrival window outside the terminal area will produce more efficient outcomes.”
This publication is a digest of press releases and other announcements issued by partners across the aviation industry from January - May 2011. It is not fully comprehensive, but provides a snapshot of the work being undertaken around the world by all parts of
the aviation industry. Readers are encouraged to visit http://newswire.enviro.aero for the latest environmental news.
The industry with a plan:
aviation’s winning strategy
GENEVA – Just a month before last year’s
United Nations climate talks in Cancún, Mexico, the aviation sector became the first in the
world to have a uniform sectoral-approach to
addressing climate change when delegates at
the 37th Assembly of the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed on a
landmark resolution on climate change. The
aviation industry, a long-time proponent of
dealing with international aviation emissions
at a global rather than national level, welcomed the outcome.
“Governments have taken an historic decision.” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s
director general and chief executive officer,
“For the first time, we have globally agreed
aspirational goals to stabilise emissions. No
other industry sector has a similar globally
agreed framework for managing its response
to climate change in a manner that takes into
consideration the needs of both developed
and developing states.”
The ICAO resolution calls for: improving fuel efficiency by 2% annually to 2050;
striving to achieve a collective medium-term
aspirational goal of capping aviation’s carbon
emissions from 2020; and a global CO2 standard for aircraft engines with a target date of
2013.
It also outlines the development of a global
framework on market-based measures by the
38th Assembly in 2013 based on 15 agreed
principles. These principles are designed to
minimise market distortions, safeguard the
fair treatment of aviation relative to other
sectors, ensure that aviation’s emissions are
accounted for only once and recognise both
past and future efforts of carriers.
The ICAO Assembly came two weeks after the industry held its Aviation & Environment Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. Addressing the opening of the summit, the Air
Transport Action Group’s executive director,
Paul Steele, outlined the goals to which the
industry had already agreed: “Our targets are
ambitious and they are unique – no other industry has come together in the way that airlines, airports, air navigation providers and
the aviation manufacturers have.
“We should be proud of that, but the work
has just begun. We have ten years to reach
our 2020 target to cap emissions. Luckily, we
are well on our way.”
“We have global targets – a 1.5% average
annual improvement in fuel efficiency between now and 2020, capping our net carbon
emissions from 2020 and halving our net carbon emissions by 2050, compared to 2005.
We also have many of the tools to achieve
these ambitious goals. Now is the time for
No action
Technology
Operations
Infrastructure
Additional
technologies
and biofuels Carbon-neutral
growth
2
1
-50% by 2050
3
2005
2010
2020
Known technology, operations and infrastructure measures
Biofuels and additional new-generation technology
Printed on 100% recycled paper.
Instead of simply recycling this paper yourself,
pass it on to someone else first.
2030
2040
Economic measures
Net emissions trajectory
2050
“No action” emissions
Mapping out the industry commitments:  improve fleet fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year
from now until 2020;  cap net emissions from 2020 through carbon neutral growth;  by
2050, net aviation carbon emissions will be half of what they were in 2005.
(Schematic, indicative diagram only.)
New report tracks aviation
biofuels collaboration
ROTTERDAM – The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) has released a new report, Powering the Future of Flight, which
tracks progress in some key aviation biofuels
projects worldwide and provides policymakers with examples of how they can help the
deployment of biojet fuel.
The publication looks at four case studies
in detail – the collaboration underway in the
United States, the Mexican Government’s
work to develop aviation biofuels, a project
in the United Kingdom to turn household
waste into aviation biofuel and cooperation
between the aviation sector and research institutions to bring algae-sourced biofuels to
market. It also takes a brief look at a number
of other current projects.
Paul Steele, Executive Director of the
cross-industry aviation coalition ATAG said,
“It wasn’t many years ago that the idea of using biofuels for flight was dismissed out of
hand on technical and safety grounds. Today,
we have tested a range of biofuels in-flight,
we have made our way through a very tough
technical standards process to ensure flight
safety and we have been working hard to establish the correct sustainability criteria for
the fuels we use.”
“The biggest challenge now lies in ensuring a steady, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable supply of this new energy source.
The fossil fuel industry has had a century to
develop its fuel sources, supply chains and
distribution networks. Not to mention its
governments to come to the party.”
Speaking at a European Aviation Summit shortly after the ICAO Assembly, vice
president of the European Commission Siim
Kallas said, “In many cases, there is no alternative to air transport. Therefore, our freedom of mobility depends on a safe, efficient,
reliable and competitive air transport system.
For air transport to be able to grow we need
to address the environmental impact. I am
very satisfied that ICAO adopted a resolution on International Aviation and Climate
Change. It is a major achievement to have
190 countries adopt a Resolution on such a
sensitive issue. It is the first mode of transport
to succeed. Aviation will go to Cancún with
its homework done!”
The aviation industry’s long-term targets
Million tonnes of CO2
Singapore Airlines
reduces weight on
board by making
magazines electronic
profit margins. The fledgling aviation biofuels industry will need to catch up and this
will require capital from the investment
community and start-up incentives and
de-risking from governments.”
Powering the Future of Flight takes
a bold approach in identifying ‘six easy
steps’ that governments and policymakers could follow to assist aviation and
the biofuels sector in embracing sustainable aviation biofuels. The steps
are:
1. Foster research into new feedstock
sources and refining processes.
2. De-risk public and private investments in aviation biofuels.
3. Provide incentives for airlines to
use biofuels from an early stage.
4. Encourage stakeholders to commit to robust international sustainability criteria.
5. Understand local green growth opportunities.
6. Establish coalitions encompassing all
parts of the supply chain.
“Of course, these six steps are not actually
an ‘easy’ task. What we set out to do is to illustrate the process in a simple way. It is clear
that aviation is ready to become a major customer in the sustainable biofuel market. It is
vital for our future and it is an important step
in reducing carbon emissions. This publication, we hope, will provide some inspiration
and ideas based on work already underway.”
The Air Transport Action Group is a coaliCopyright © 2011
Air Transport Action Group
Geneva, Switzerland
Powerin
future of g the
flight
The six
easy step
s to
via
ble aviat
growing
a
ls indust
ry
ion biofue
April 201
1
tion
of organisations
and companies throughout the air transport industry that drive air transport infrastructure improvements in an environmentally-sustainable manner. ATAG has some 70
members worldwide; its funding members
include Airports Council International, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, CANSO, CFM International, Embraer, Honeywell Aerospace,
GE Aviation, International Air Transport Association, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.
Download the report:
www.flyonbiofuels.org
2 AIRLINES
Green Flight Times
January - May 2011
Kenya Airways and IATA team up to cut carbon
NAIROBI – Kenya Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
have launched Africa’s first airline carbon
offsetting programme, based on IATAs carbon offsetting tool which provides a channel
for passengers to contribute towards reducing
the effect of carbon emissions by supporting
environmental sustainability initiatives.
Speaking during the official launch, Kenya
Airways Group managing director Dr Titus
Naikuni said that the airline was committed
to contributing to global efforts in increasing the level of awareness on environmental issues. “The development of this tool is
another milestone for Kenya Airways after
other successful environmental sustainability
programmes including Ngong Hills Reforestation Project, newer fuel-efficient aircraft
and fuel saving initiatives that have been employed throughout our operations.”
Giovanni Bisignani, IATA director general and CEO, explained the importance of
the programme, “The IATA programme sets
a good example of industry leadership in
economic measures [to reduce carbon emissions]. This approach is a cost-effective
means for all airlines to offer their customers
the option to offset emissions resulting from
their air travel.”
Amounts collected through this programme will be used to support projects that
have been certified by the United Nations
Environment Programme as being credible
enough to contribute to positive impact on
sustainability. One of the projects is the Olkaria III Phase 2 Geothermal Expansion Project in Kenya.
Air Arabia selects sharklets for its
new Airbus A320 fleet
SHARJAH – Air Arabia, the first and
largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East
and North Africa, has selected sharklets for
28 out of 44 A320 aircraft ordered by the airline. Deliveries of these Sharklet-equipped
Airbus aircraft will begin from the second
quarter of 2013.
“Air Arabia is on the path of a reasonable
expansion, in-line with the company’s vision
to become one of the world’s leading airlines
in terms of eco-efficiency, profit margin, innovation, and operational excellence. This
new order will further contribute to the airline’s operational efficiency when we take
delivery of the first sharklet-equipped A320s
in 2013,” said Adel Ali, Board Member and
Group CEO of Air Arabia.
“We are delighted that Air Arabia has tak-
en the opportunity to maximise the capability and efficiency of its future A320 fleet by
equipping them with our fuel-saving sharklets,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.
Sharklets were launched for development
in 2009. These new wingtip devices are
around 2.5 metres tall and further enhance the
efficiency of the A320 family by replacing
the aircraft’s current wingtip fence. Offered
as an option on new-build aircraft from the
end of 2012, the devices reduce fuel burn particularly over longer sectors. As well as increasing payload-range and improving takeoff performance, sharklets result in around
3.5% reduced fuel burn over longer sectors,
corresponding to an annual CO2 reduction of
around 700 tonnes per aircraft.
Nanotechnology - an ‘easy’ route to
improved fuel efficiency?
LONDON – UK-based low cost carrier easyJet announced that it is the first commercial
airline to trial a revolutionary nano-technology coating on its aircraft aimed at reducing drag
and increasing fuel efficiency.
The ultra thin coating, already used on US military aircraft, is a polymer that cross links and
bonds to the paint surface and only adds an estimated 4oz to the weight of the aircraft.
The coating reduces the build-up of debris on the aircraft's structure, leading edge and other
surfaces, reducing drag on the surface of the aircraft. The manufacturers of the coating estimate that it could reduce easyJet's fuel consumption by 1-2%. The airline has coated eight
aircraft and will compare their fuel consumption with the rest of the fleet during a 12 month
trial period.

United unveils joined-up environmental commitment
CHICAGO – United Continental Holdings has unveiled the merged
company’s new environmental commitment with a focus on reducing
its impact on the environment in the air, on the ground, at facilities,
with its business partners and across its communities. To celebrate
Earth Day, the company introduced Eco-Skies, its initiative and commitment to protecting the environment.
“With our commitment to the environment at the new United, we
lead commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company
by taking responsible actions today that shape an environmentally sustainable future,” said Toby Enqvist, vice president of environmental
affairs and security for United.
United and Continental share a common focus on protecting the environment, and the integrated environmental programmes of the new
company will be known as Eco-Skies. As part of its commitment to the
environment, the company will:
1. reduce fuel use and improve fuel efficiency of its aircraft and
vehicles through technology and process innovation;
2. advance and utilise environmentally responsible and cost-efficient alternative fuels;
3. improve the sustainability of products and its facilities, and responsibly manage wastes generated by its business activities;
4. work together with its co-workers and partner with its stakeholders – customers, airports, business partners, suppliers,
governments and NGOs – to promote accountability and protect the environment while achieving its business goals.
“We are expanding upon the solid track records that United and
Continental have built by improving aircraft fuel efficiency and introducing sustainability programmes,” said Enqvist.
Some examples of the companies’ environmental accomplishments are:
•
Improved fuel efficiency of 32% since 1994: new Boeing and
Airbus aircraft on order are more than 20% more fuel efficient than the planes they will replace, and adding winglets to
existing planes improves fuel efficiency by up to 5%.
•
Leading the industry in advancement of alternative fuels:
Continental was the first North American carrier to perform
a two-engine aircraft flight demonstration using sustainable
biofuels derived from algae and jatropha and United made
the first US commercial flight using synthetic fuel made from
natural gas.
•
At its airport facilities, more than 3,600 of the company’s
ground service equipment are already alternatively fuelled or
zero emission.
•
Improving sustainability of products and facilities: Over the
last five years, the companies recycled more than three million pounds of aluminium cans and plastic items from waste
generated in-flight.
•
At its hubs and facilities, the company reduces waste, recycles and builds LEED-certified office space when possible.
Iberia flight tests Resting eco-easy with Lufthansa’s new seats
performed to
optimise routes
and save fuel
MADRID – Spanish airline Iberia has
undertaken the first flight test in the DORIS
project (Dynamic Route Optimisation In
Flight), which aims to optimise routes and
gain efficiencies in the North Atlantic airspace, thanks to improved communications.
During flight, meteorological conditions
are tracked constantly and if there is a route
more favourable than had been planned initially, the flight crew is able to change trajectory in real time, if authorised by air traffic
control.
The first analysis shows that, utilising such
techniques can save more than 2% of fuel
per flight. In an Airbus A340, such as used
by Iberia for transatlantic routes, this would
be about 400 kilos of kerosene on a flight to
Guatemala.
Iberia participates in DORIS with air
navigation service providers AENA and NAV
Portugal and is an initiative of the AIRE programme (Atlantic Interoperability Initiative
to Reduce Emissions), within the framework
cooperation agreement between the FAA and
the European Commission to reduce the environmental impact of commercial aviation.
Iberia is also involved in the RETACDA
project, which involves making continuous
descent approaches or “green approaches” to
airports. These manoeuvres can reduce fuel
consumption by up to 25%, while minimising the noise produced by aircraft in this operation. Iberia was the first airline in Spain to
perform this kind of approach, and participated in the initial phase of the project with more
than 600 descents into Madrid Airport.
FRANKFURT – The figures by themselves are impressive: Lufthansa is installing some 32,000 new seats on more than 180
aircraft in its short and medium-haul fleet –
within the space of just one year. This will
create a new travel experience and ensure
greater passenger comfort. Importantly, the
new seats will also help the airline reduce
emissions.
“With our new, more comfortable seats,
completely revamped cabin and enhanced
inflight service, we are setting new standards
on European routes,“ said Thierry Antinori,
member of the Lufthansa German Airlines
Board, presenting the new cabin in Frankfurt.
“The slimmer seats will also enable us to increase the seating capacity of our short and
medium-haul fleet and thus ensure that we
remain competitive in future.”
As the newly designed Recaro seats take
up less room than the previous seats, up to
two additional rows of seats can be installed
on each aircraft. Lufthansa will thus be able
to offer about 2,000 additional seats, which
is equivalent to the capacity of twelve Airbus
A320s. The new cabin on European routes
will thus not only raise levels of passenger
comfort but also make a substantial contribution towards improving cost efficiency. In
all, Lufthansa is investing about €170 million
in its new cabin as part of a comprehensive
programme to revamp the airline’s inflight
product.
The new seat is also a real bonus from an
ecological point of view. Thanks to the materials used and the seat’s innovative structure,
each row of seats is more than 12 kg lighter
than the previous seat rows. That is equivalent to an almost 30% reduction in weight,
which in turns lowers specific fuel consumption. In spite of the additional rows of seats in
the cabin, the empty weight of a Boeing 737,
for example, is thus reduced by more than
300 kg. In addition, the Lufthansa Group is
pioneering the use of a lighter, chrome-free
– and thus more environmentally friendly –
leather for the seat upholstery. The interior
of the backrest is perforated, which ensures
high breathability and also boosts seating
comfort.
tained this certification, because it recognises
the many efforts we have made to improve
our environmental performance,” said Allen
Graham, President and CEO of Air Transat.
“These efforts have included reducing our
energy consumption by 10% and our water
use by 40% over the past few years. We have
also implemented a waste management system that emphasises composting as well as
recycling of metal, glass, plastic and paper.
This certification is the result of painstaking
teamwork and is an incentive for us all to
continue in the same direction.”
sumption and emissions while increasing
airspace capacity.
“GOL is a forward-looking aviation
leader that recognises the importance of
RNP in the fast-growing Brazilian aviation
sector,” said Steve Forte, general manager
of GE Aviation’s PBN Services. “Using
RNP, GOL will be able to grow its operations quickly and safely to meet market
demand, while reducing emissions and fuel
consumption.”
RNP allows aircraft to fly preciselydefined trajectories without relying on
ground-based radio-navigation signals.
Since the procedures are very precise, they
can be designed to shorten the distance an
aircraft has to fly en-route, and to reduce
noise, fuel burn and exhaust emissions.
AIRLINE BRIEFS
ANA Introduces Fuel Cell Electric
Passenger Courtesy Vehicles
Japanese carrier ANA is to introduce fuel
cell electric vehicles into its fleet of passenger courtesy cars to become one of the
worlds’ pioneering eco-friendly airlines.
The initiative forms part of the government-backed Hydrogen Highway Project, which is designed to combat climate
change by cutting carbon emissions from
vehicle use.
ANA is the first Japanese airline to receive the Government’s ‘Eco-First’ certification and is participating in the demonstration programme for establishing a
hydrogen-based social system – a series of
initiatives funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), of which
the Hydrogen Highway Project is one.
The electric vehicle experiment is one of
a string of measures designed to make ANA
Japan’s most environmentally-conscious
airline. The carrier has already launched a
carbon offset programme enabling passengers on domestic routes to reduce their CO2
footprint.
Alitalia on-point for fuel and carbon
savings
Alitalia has signed an OnPoint Fuel &
Carbon Solutions agreement with GE Aviation. Using proprietary decision software and
fuel-consulting expertise, GE’s Fuel & Carbon Solutions will work with Alitalia to identify and track operational improvements that
could reduce the airline’s fuel spend – and
carbon emissions – by an average of 3% on
given segments.
Japanese airline to use renewably
sourced de-icing fluid
All Nippon Airways will be using a new
de-icing fluid this winter which is produced
from renewable sources and can also lead to
emissions reductions. The fluid, DFsustain, is
part of the Kilfrost range of de-icing and anti-
icing fluids. ANA participated in a trial of
DFsustain during the winter season last year.
“We’re delighted that ANA has taken on
DFsustain as it has the potential to further reduce the airline’s carbon footprint,” explained
Kilfrost’s CEO Gary Lydiate. “It’s a worldfirst fluid and truly leads the way in terms of
both green credentials and efficacy.”
DFsustain has the potential to use up to
40% less energy in manufacturing than more
traditional fluids.
Air Transat head office goes
platinum
Air Transat’s headquarters has just been
awarded the US Green Building Council’s
LEED Platinum certification in the category
“Existing Buildings.” The building is the
first in its category in Canada to obtain this
certification, awarded for compliance with
the most stringent sustainability criteria for
green buildings.
“We are exceedingly proud to have ob-
GOL enlists GE’s support to prepare
for RNP-AR in Brazil
GOL Transportes Aereos has selected GE
Aviation’s PBN Services to assist them in
obtaining regulatory authorisation to fly Required Navigation Performance (RNP) flight
procedures in Brazil. Once approved, the
airline will be allowed to fly RNP paths in
its fleet of Boeing 737s, reducing fuel con-
@
For further information on
developments across the
aviation industry:
www.enviro.aero
AIR NAVIGATION 3
Supporting a Greener Future for Flight
www.enviro.aero
Nav Canada advances international and FAA, JetBlue
domestic efforts to reduce GHG emissions agreement to bring
OTTAWA – Nav Canada has made further
gains and has announced a new project in its
efforts to reduce aviation-related greenhouse
gas emissions through safe and more efficient
air traffic flows.
The ENGAGE Corridor Project is a collaborative initiative involving the European
Community, the US and Canada, aimed at
improving the efficiency of the 350,000
flights per year that cross the North Atlantic.
It is one of the many projects outlined in the
updated CIFER Report.
The ENGAGE Corridor Project will assess
trial flights for the feasibility and potential
to reduce GHG emissions in North Atlantic
Oceanic airspace. Based on actual airline
flight data, the flight trial results will be
compared to “normal” operations on similar
trans-Atlantic flights. The flight trials begin
in February and continue through the spring
of 2011.
The trial flights will test the viability of
two concepts on North Atlantic operations:
progressive or continuous altitude change;
and corresponding change in aircraft speed
(mach).
As a flight transits the ocean, fuel is consumed and the weight of the aircraft decreases, resulting in the most efficient flight
level becoming higher (assuming zero wind).
Therefore, an efficient flight profile would
include a progressive or continuous altitude
change and corresponding change in mach.
Assessments show that oceanic flights can
save approximately 250 litres of fuel and 650
kilograms of GHG emissions per flight by
varying mach and altitude.
“More than 350,000 flights per year transit
the North Atlantic airspace,” said Rudy Kellar, Nav Canada Vice President, Operations.
“If only three per cent are able to vary Mach
and altitude in a way that improves flight efficiency, that would result in an annual reduction of approximately 7,200 tonnes of GHG
emissions and a savings of 2.7 million litres
of fuel”
The ENGAGE Corridor Project is being
undertaken as part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking Atlantic Interoperability Initiative
to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) Programme.
The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) was
created under European Community law in
2007 to ensure the modernisation of the European air traffic management system.
AIRE is a programme managed by SJU in
cooperation with the FAA that aims to accelerate the implementation of environmentallyfriendly procedures for all phases of flight,
and to validate the benefits of these improvements.
Aerothai showcases PBN and CDO
Traditional ‘stepped’ approach
Continuous descent operation
WASHINGTON – The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced
that it signed a NextGen agreement with
JetBlue Airways that will allow the airline to
fly more precise, satellite-based flights from
Boston and New York to Florida and the Caribbean beginning in 2012.
NextGen is the transformation of the US
national airspace system from a ground-based
system of air traffic control to one based on
satellites, which will enhance safety and reduce aviation congestion.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
said, “NextGen is a critical investment in the
future of our transportation system, one that
uses the latest technology to transform our
airspace to make aviation safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly.”
Under the agreement, as many as 35 of
JetBlue’s A320 aircraft will be equipped
with Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) avionics over the next
two years, enabling them to fly in two major
routes off the East Coast even if traditional
radar coverage is not available. The improved
accuracy, integrity and reliability of aircraft
surveillance under ADS-B will allow JetBlue
to take advantage of these routes at all times
since the satellite-based system tracks the
precise position of aircraft.
The agreement will also allow JetBlue to
fly a new route to the Caribbean, and could
lead to the development of two new, shorter
ADS-B-only routes to the Caribbean from
Boston, New York and Washington. The FAA
will collect valuable NextGen data by observing and conducting real-time operational
evaluations of ADS-B on revenue flights.
ASPIRE goes
green daily
Take-off
Take-off
Landing
Landing
Traditional
descent – Aerothai
Continuous descent
BANGKOK
is in operations
the process
of the implementation of Performance-Based
Navigation (PBN) at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Aerothai has also introduced
Continuous Descent Operations (CDO)
which will be beneficial to airlines in financial and fuel savings, reduction of carbon dioxide emission reduction.
As the nation’s sole air navigation service
provider, Aerothai is committed to the continuous development of the country’s air traffic services and other related services to the
airlines and related operators in the airport.
The introduction of PBN coincides with
the implementation of CDO. This technology
allows the arriving flights descending to the
airport in a continuous speed with minimum
engine thrust. Most importantly, it helps reduce the on-going problem of global warming.
Aerothai’s PBN implementation is expected to reduce airline fuel consumption by
50,900 tonnes per year, reducing the overall
fuel budget by 1,614 million Thai baht and
reducing carbon dioxide emission by 160,800
tonnes per year.
CANSO members create Indian
Ocean strategic partnership to reduce
emissions (INSPIRE)
AMSTERDAM – Three CANSO Member air navigation service providers – Airports Authority of India, Airservices Australia and ATNS South Africa – have announced the creation
of the Indian Ocean Strategic Partnership to Reduce Emissions (INSPIRE). Representatives
from each organisation took part in a special signing ceremony during ATC Global 2011 in
Amsterdam. The agreement recognised the significant growth in air travel during 2010 in the
Middle East (21%) and Asia-Pacific (12.9%), as well as the positive outlook for growth in
Africa, India and airspace over the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Against this backdrop, the
INSPIRE partners have agreed to pursue the delivery of air traffic management efficiencies and
reduce the output of greenhouse gasses from aviation.

NextGen precision
ANSP BRIEFS
New routes to save carbon high
over Europe
142 new direct routes have been implemented in the airspace controlled by the
Eurocontrol Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre. These new direct routes will
substantially contribute to reduce flight and
engine running time, fuel burn, gas emissions and costs in high-density European
airspace. To ensure maximum safety, the
new routes will initially be used during the
least busy hours of the night. As from the
end of the year, they will also be used during weekends.
This development is the first step in the
implementation of the Free Route Airspace
Maastricht (FRAM) programme, which
aims to put in place a direct route network
for 24/7 operations, saving airlines several million km of flight time. The savings
expected from the first phase of FRAM
deployment during nights and weekends
are estimated at 1.16 million km per year,
resulting in a reduction of 12,000 tonnes
of CO2 when compared to the fixed route
network.
CANSO agrees to support ICAO’s
IFSET project
CANSO will support a global approach
to calculating fuel and CO2 savings from
ATM operational improvements. CANSO
will work with ICAO to roll out the ICAO
Fuel Savings Estimation Tool (IFSET)
among the world’s ANSPs.
CANSO Director General Graham Lake
said, “CANSO is committed to reducing
ATM’s impact on the environment, and a
number of ANSP-driven initiatives have
already delivered significant reductions in
fuel use and emissions.
“However, we need to take a global approach to collecting accurate and comparable data so we can develop best practice,
and effectively report the industry’s progress and achievements.”
AUCKLAND – The Asia and Pacific
Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE)
is moving beyond the demonstration stage
with the launch of ASPIRE-Daily service in
selected Pacific markets.
Air New Zealand has begun ASPIRE-Daily services from Auckland to San Francisco
using some of the flight procedures identified
by the ASPIRE partners to help reduce fuel
burn and carbon emissions. Other carriers are
expected to join Air New Zealand in flying
ASPIRE-Daily routes between additional
city pairs in the coming months.
Airlines flying ASPIRE-Daily routes must
be equipped with advanced avionics that
allow them to use at least four of the environmentally friendly procedures per flight
outlined in the ASPIRE programme. These
include satellite-based avionics which automatically update a flight’s precise position to
air traffic controllers and provide an on-board
system to monitor navigation performance.
Five ASPIRE demonstration flights have
taken place since the agreement was signed
in February 2008. These demonstrations tested the following techniques which are now
being used on the ASPIRE-Daily flights:
User-preferred routes allow an airline
to request a specific routing, regardless of
projected winds, instead of flying along a
fixed route. This procedure, made possible
by advanced technologies used by air traffic
controllers monitoring aircraft over oceanic
airspace, results in a substantial reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions.
Dynamic airborne reroute procedures
allow an aircraft to deviate from its flight
path, mid-flight, to take updated wind projections into account, reducing fuel burn.
30/30 reduced oceanic separation is the
safe reduction in the required separation between aircraft from 100 nautical miles to 30.
This procedure improves capacity and efficiency over oceanic routes.
Time-based arrivals management allows controllers to sequence aircraft more
efficiently as they get closer to their arrival
airports. This reduces low altitude vectoring
and holding patterns, which burn fuel, while
improving the merging and spacing of arriving aircraft to maximise efficiency.
Arrival optimisation is the use of one of
several satellite-based procedures that allow
aircraft to descend smoothly from cruising
altitude to the arrival airport. These procedures allow aircraft to descend at idle thrust,
rather than doing step-down descents that
burn more fuel.
Departure optimisation is the climb-out
version of arrival optimisation.
Surface movement optimisation allows
aircraft to move between gates and runways
efficiently to save time and reduce fuel burn.
Green flights from LA to Singapore
SINGAPORE – On 16 May 2011, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and
Singapore Airlines, working together with the United States FAA and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, launched the second regular ‘city pair’ ASPIRE-Daily flights from
Los Angeles to Singapore. Singapore Airlines flight SQ37, which operates non-stop on the
route, will employ enhanced gate-to-gate air traffic management operational procedures to
reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions in all phases of the flight.
Mr Yap Ong Heng, Director-General of CAAS, said, “The launch of the LAX-SIN ‘citypair’ with Singapore Airlines will clearly demonstrate how collaboration among ASPIRE
partners, airlines and other ANSPs in employing best practices and technologies in air traffic
management can achieve significant reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions for
flights.”
The following air traffic management best practices, which significantly reduce fuel burn
and carbon emissions, will be utilised for the LAX-SIN flights:
• User-Preferred Routes, Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedures and 30/30 Reduced Oceanic
Separation, which allow pilots to take full advantage of atmospheric conditions, such as
prevailing winds, to reduce separation between aircraft and shorten flight time.
• Time-Based Arrivals Management and Arrivals Optimisation which allow aircraft to fly
with engines set at idle mode in continuous descent from a high altitude during the landing
phase of the flight, thus reducing fuel burn.
“We are pleased to be able to implement these flight procedures on a regular basis, and see
this as yet another step towards greener skies. We will be monitoring the flight closely to track
the fuel and emission savings, but we expect to reduce fuel burn by two tonnes and achieve
carbon emission savings of around 6.3 tonnes for each Los Angeles-Singapore sector,” says
Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice-President Flight Operations Gerard Yeap.
 FROM THE DESK OF...
Ian Jopson, Head of Environmental and Community Affairs at UK air
navigation service provider NATS.
Flying light: NATS is saving
thousands of tonnes of CO2
NATS’ Acting Responsibly programme
– aimed at reducing the environmental impact of aviation and saving fuel – is reaping results. Back in 2008 we set ourselves
targets aimed at making our business more
sustainable as part of our Vision 2011 programme.
That year, NATS became the first ANSP
in the world to set a target on air traffic
management related CO2 emissions. We
pledged to reduce air traffic management
(ATM) related CO2 emissions by 10 % per
flight (against a 2006 baseline) by March
2020. At the same time we committed to
drive down the environmental impact of
our ATC centres and offices.
To put our ATM CO2 target in context,
simply delivering 1% of our 10% target today would net the airlines savings of £45
million a year. We have already started to
deliver against our ATM target – in 2009,
we enabled 25,000 tonnes of CO2 savings
and, in 2010, we did even better, generating
around 50,000 tonnes of CO2 savings.
During the last year NATS has also delivered more than 50 emissions improvements and made great progress towards our
Vision 2011 commitments.
Among the developments, NATS teamed
up with British Airways and BAA to test
out the concept of a ‘perfect flight’.
This was a UK first – a trial flight that
followed an optimised flight profile and
proved potential savings of more than 10%
on the usual CO2 emissions (a reduction of
0.35 tonnes of fuel from gate to gate) for its
route from Edinburgh to Heathrow.
The challenge now is to make this perfect flight more of a day-to-day occurrence
in our network. This will take time, but
in the meantime we’re looking to deliver
short term benefits in fuel burn and emissions to our airline customers.
NATS is also working with the airlines
to make a real difference to the environment following the formation of regular
Environmental Improvement Workshops
in Swanwick and Prestwick.
The workshops see representatives from
carriers British Airways, Flybe, Thomas
Cook, Ryanair, easyJet and Loganair,
meet with NATS controllers to agree areas
across the network where near-term environmental improvements could be made.
Through this engagement between airlines and teams across NATS we have
identified over 260 near term fuel and
emissions saving opportunities.
And, while most potential CO2 savings
lie in the management of air traffic, NATS
is also making good progress in our commitment to deliver a lower carbon estate.
By January 2011 we had reduced our
carbon footprint by 25% against a 2006
baseline – reducing energy consumption
by 25%, waste to landfill by 65% and water consumption by 35%. By continuing
to optimise the efficiency of our buildings
and making everyday changes to reduce
our carbon footprint, we are on track to
deliver transformational energy and CO2
performance right across the company.
Dates announced for Aviation &
Environment Summit 2012
GENEVA – The Air Transport Action Group has announced that the next global Aviation & Environment Summit will take place in Geneva on 21 and 22 March 2012. The
event, widely seen as the premier gathering of aviation industry environmental leaders,
will take place just a few months before the United Nations Rio+20 Earth Summit. For
more information, visit www.enviro.aero/summit.
Green Flight Times
The Green Flight Times is published by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).
33 Route de l’Aéroport, Geneva 1215, Switzerland
www.atag.org | +41 22 770 2672
Publication produced in early May 2011 from press releases issued by partners across the aviation sector. ATAG bears no
responsibility for the accuracy of the content of these press releases which are supplied for information purposes only.
© ATAG 2011
4 AIRFRAME & ENGINE
2.5 billion gallons of jet fuel saved
and counting...
American Airlines is just one of the many carriers taking advantage of the fuel – and
emissions – savings made possible by retro-fitted winglets, such as on this Boeing 757.
SEATTLE – Aviation Partners and Aviation Partners Boeing announced that as of 9
February 2011, their blended winglet technology has saved the world’s airlines and
private jet operators 2.5 billion gallons of jet
fuel, or about $5 billion. This represents a
global reduction in CO2 emissions of almost
26 million tonnes. Aviation Partners winglet
technology is now flying on more than 4,000
airplanes and 21 different models.
Joe Clark, Chairman and CEO of Aviation
Partners, and John Reimers, CEO of Aviation
Partners Boeing, both agreed the fuel savings
are significant and this number will climb exponentially to more than seven billion gallons
within the next five years.
Clark said, “We are very proud of this
achievement and excited that we are ahead
of the curve in energy conservation.” This
technology is being delivered to the world’s
airlines and private jet operators at a rate of
over 500 aircraft per year.
Aviation Partners Boeing has retrofitted
roughly two thousand in-service aircraft to
make them more efficient in today’s environment.
First PurePower engine
completes initial ground tests
EAST HARTFORD – Pratt & Whitney successfully completed initial ground testing on its
first PurePower PW1000G series engine. The engine completed nearly 200 hours of ground
tests at the company’s West Palm Beach, Florida facility.
“The engine continues to exceed our expectations,” said Bob Saia, vice president, Next
Generation Product Family. “We have already completed an unprecedented amount of testing
on this first engine, including a full structural evaluation, performance, noise and emissions
testing. Testing has validated overall engine operational characteristics including component
design, rotor dynamics and engine fuel and lubrication systems.”
The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at
a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine.
The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers double-digit
improvements in fuel efficiency and environmental emissions as well as a 50% reduction in
noise.
The PurePower engine has been selected for the Bombardier CSeries scheduled to enter
service in 2013 and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet scheduled to enter service in 2014. The engine
has also been selected to power the new Airbus A320neo aircraft scheduled to enter service in
Spring 2016 and the Irkut MC-21 narrow-body jet scheduled to enter service in 2016.
Green Flight Times
January - May 2011
Airbus CEO calls CSeries systems trials begin
for investment
in sustainable
aviation future
MADRID – Speaking at a major EU summit in Madrid, Airbus President and CEO,
Tom Enders, urged Europe “to invest in improving an infrastructure that so much of the
world’s economic and social development
relies on.”
The Airbus CEO’s comments follow the
launch of The European Aviation Vision
2050, an aspirational roadmap of how the
sector will handle 16 billion passengers and
400 million tonnes of cargo annually.
Airbus has been involved in developing
the vision, which highlights the need for investment in education and research to meet
global demand for a sustainable and greener
transport network.
The European Aviation Vision 2050, aims
to reduce CO2 by 75%, NOx by 90% and
noise by 65%, compared to levels in 2000,
while handling around 25 million flights per
year within Europe.
It suggests that by then, 90% of travellers
will be able to complete European journeys in
four hours and that flights will arrive within
one minute of planned arrival times, reducing flight times and fuel burn due to air traffic
congestion.
“The implementation of fuel saving technology in our aircraft has allowed us to satisfy a 45% increase in demand for air transport
over the last decade with only a 3% increase
in the use of jet fuel.
“Innovation has allowed us to do more
with less, but these ambitious goals set out by
this Vision need investment and action now
in order to safeguard Europe’s position as
a leader in sustainable aviation, in a changing economic and political landscape,” said
Enders.
“Aviation supports 33 million jobs and 8%
GDP. It is imperative that our investment in
air transport reflects the huge economical and
social benefits it brings”, Enders concluded.
@
For further information on
developments across the
aviation industry:
www.enviro.aero
Boeing celebrates premiere of new 747-8 Intercontinental
Boeing’s fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner joins its cousin the 747-8 Intercontinental on a test
flight above Seattle. Both aircraft bring significant emissions reductions.

EVERETT – Boeing has unveiled its
747-8 Intercontinental, the new high-capacity
passenger airplane providing enhanced environmental performance.
Approximately 10,000 guests, including
customers, Boeing employees, government
officials, partners and suppliers, gathered at
the factory near Seattle to witness the premiere of the aircraft, which is now taking part
in an exhaustive testing process.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes President
and Chief Executive Officer Jim Albaugh
said the newest 747 incorporates technological advancements that make it an extremely
productive airplane for customers.
“The new 747-8 Intercontinental features
the latest in innovative technologies – applying many of the breakthroughs also found on
the 787 Dreamliner,” said Albaugh.
The 747-8 Intercontinental provides 16%
better fuel economy, 16% less carbon emissions per passenger and generates a 30%
smaller noise footprint than the 747-400.
MONTRÉAL – The first systems for
Bombardier’s CSeries airliner programme
are now being developed and tested at partners and vendors in Canada, the United States
and Europe prior to delivery to Bombardier’s
Complete Integrated Aircraft Systems Test
Area (CIASTA). The installation of the systems rigs at the CIASTA is progressing on
schedule, and some parts, including the engine accessory gearbox and flight deck controls, have already arrived.
The Complete Integrated Aircraft Systems Test Area (CIASTA) is the first of a
series of large facilities planned exclusively
for the testing, final assembly and delivery
of CSeries aircraft at its facility in Mirabel,
Québec, 40 km north of Montréal. The CIASTA is the high-tech laboratory that will test
the CSeries aircraft’s systems ahead of first
flight and will continue to support systems
integration during the flight test programme.
The CIASTA concept involves several key
CSeries aircraft partners and suppliers, including CAE, Goodrich Actuation Systems,
Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, LiebherrAerospace, Parker Hannifin, Pratt & Whitney
and Rockwell Collins. Representatives from
these organisations will be co-located in
Mirabel to work with Bombardier on system
testing and integration processes.
“The CIASTA will integrate flight control
systems, avionics, hydraulics, electrical and
environmental control systems prior to the
CSeries aircraft’s first flight,” said David
Tidd, Vice President, Integrated Product Development Team, Bombardier Commercial
Aircraft. “It is a significant advancement from
the test rigs that Bombardier has used on its
previous aircraft development programs.”
“This virtual aircraft, which is in fact con-
sidered as the aircraft with serial number
zero, will be used to extensively test systems
design in order to mitigate risk and provide
the necessary reliability prior to the first
flight,” added Mr. Tidd.
The CIASTA, enabling systems testing
ahead of the first flight, is an example of
Bombardier’s lifecycle management approach and commitment to apply Design for
Environment principles to all in-development
and future aircraft programs, such as the
CSeries, the Learjet 85, and the Global 7000
and 8000.
In addition, Bombardier is designing
the CSeries models to set new standards of
sustainability throughout their lifecycle.
Through an Environmental Product Declaration, when this aircraft enters into service in
2013, CSeries customers will know the impact their aircraft is having on the environment – something that cannot be determined
with current models to any significant degree
of accuracy.
The CSeries aircraft, which are optimised
for the single-aisle 100- to 149-seat market,
will deliver the lowest operating costs in their
class, exceptional operational flexibility,
widebody comfort and an unmatched environmental scorecard.
When the Cseries enters into service in
2013, it will not only burn 20% less fuel and
emit 20% less CO2, but it will also produce
50% less NOx and be four times quieter than
older models. This balanced approach is also
supported by the International Civil Aviation
Organization, which seeks to continuously
push for increased stringency on noise and
NOx emissions while creating new CO2 standards.
Bombardier launches first edition of
its Green Fund
MONTRÉAL – Driven by its commitment to reduce its operational greenhouse gas
emissions by an additional 10% by the end of
2013 compared to 2008, Bombardier created
its Green Fund. With this special Fund, Bombardier expects to capture and implement
employees’ best ideas to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance, and
create a positive impact for the communities
where the company operates.
The Green Fund was launched in November 2010 and close to 200 ideas were collected across Bombardier Aerospace for this first
edition. On February 14 2011, Bombardier
Aerospace formally announced the results of
the 2011 edition: 19 ideas from employees
across the organisation have been selected
for implementation in 2011.
The 19 ideas selected have the potential to
generate recurring CO2 reductions equivalent
to removing 1,162 mid-size cars off the road
each year and provide enough energy savings
to serve 770 average North American family
homes annually. We currently estimate that
the selected ideas for 2011 have the potential
to reduce Bombardier Aerospace’s operational greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by
approximately 3%, with a three years consolidated payback time.
Bombardier Aerospace manufacturing
sites with 150 employees or more are all certified ISO 14001. The Green Fund, with an
allocated budget of $5 million for this first
year, is an additional tool to futher improve
environmental performance. The Green Fund
is thus an additional initiative to foster a
continuous improvement culture and engage
employees in achieving the company’s environmental objectives.
Airbus ProSky will also contribute Airbus’
aviation expertise further afield for other nations by working with their Air Navigation
Service Providers (ANSPs), airworthiness
authorities and airlines. This will help them
achieve the common goal of transforming
their ATM systems with the latest technologies and procedures, to achieve the highest
operational efficiencies with more direct
routings resulting in around 10 percent less
aircraft fuel consumption, and significant reductions in CO2 and noise emissions.
The first such undertaking announced
by Airbus ProSky was the recent MoU
with Chinese authorities for cooperation in
ATM, whereby Airbus ProSky will assist
the Chinese Air Traffic Management Bureau
(ATMB) with the introduction and implementation of new ATM concepts, airspace
design, deployment support, training and best
practices. Furthermore, authorities in other
countries are also exploring the opportunities of working with Airbus ProSky to adopt
the principles and know-how developed for
ATM systems in Europe and the US.
MANUFACTURER BRIEFS
Boeing South Carolina achieves
zero waste to landfill status
Boeing’s South Carolina 787 production,
final assembly and delivery site has become
the company’s first major commercial airplane production facility to achieve zero
waste to landfill status. The North Charleston site is the fourth within Boeing to reach
this milestone achievement. Zero waste to
landfill means that none of the waste materials and by-products generated at the site
reaches landfill. Waste material is recycled
or reused or otherwise repurposed, reducing
the site’s overall environmental footprint.
Components of the site’s zero waste to
landfill plan include a comprehensive recycling program with point-of-use containers
as well as recycling centres located across
the site. Food scraps also are collected in
cafeterias and break rooms for composting.
Larger packaging waste materials that can’t
be reused are removed from the site by
Sonoco for recycling or repurposing.
Boeing announces renewable
energy partnership
Boeing and South Carolina Electric & Gas
(SCE&G) today announced an energy partnership that will enable Boeing South Carolina to operate as a 100% renewable energy
site.
“This is an important announcement for
Boeing and we’re honored to share it with
South Carolina Electric & Gas,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our 787 Dreamliner is
manufactured using fewer hazardous materials and designed to consume less fuel, and
produce fewer emissions. It only makes sense
that our business operations in South Carolina reflect the environmental progressiveness
of the airplane we’ll build here.
“Renewable energy will be generated at
the North Charleston site in part with thinfilm solar laminate panels owned, installed
and maintained by SCE&G on the new Boeing 787 Final Assembly building roof. This
solar installation will provide up to 2.6 megawatts of electrical power for the site, enough
to power approximately 250 homes. The installation will be the largest in the Southeast
by production capacity, and the sixth largest
in the U.S.
Airbus launches “ProSky” – new
ATM subsidiary
Airbus has launched a new subsidiary
company, called “Airbus ProSky”, dedicated
to the development and support of modern
air traffic management (ATM) systems. Airbus ProSky will become the channel through
which Airbus will interact and develop ATM
programmes such as “Single European Sky
ATM Research” (SESAR) in Europe, as well
as NextGen in the US. In particular, for these
two ATM programmes, the new company
will help accelerate and support the process
of their implementation, and link them together by capitalising on the technological,
operational and commercial synergies.
GE Aviation recognised with
Lindbergh Award for Balance
GE Aviation was recognised with the
Corporate Award for Balance at the 37th
Annual Lindbergh Award Celebration and
Dinner. The Foundation’s Corporate Award
for Balance is an honor bestowed on organisations whose concern for the environment
and dedication to improving quality of life
are demonstrated through their business
practices. “GE Aviation’s technological innovations have produced tremendous gains
in fuel efficiency,” observed Larry Williams, Lindbergh Foundation Chairman.
“Their dedication to research and technology that reduce fuel consumption, noise
and emissions is exemplary, and certainly
worthy of Lindbergh Foundation recognition,” he added. “GE’s work is an excellent
model for other manufacturers to follow.”
AIRPORTS 5
Supporting a Greener Future for Flight
www.enviro.aero
Wind turbines land at East Midlands Airport
NOTTINGHAM – As part of the commitment to make ground operations carbon
neutral by 2012, East Midlands Airport has
installed two wind turbines on the airport
property.
Producing an estimated 5% of the airport’s
electricity, which is the equivalent power of
more than 150 houses, the turbines will save
approximately 300 tonnes of carbon each
year. Located on site, next to the airport’s
headquarters, the turbines stand 45 metres
high, including the rotor blades, which will
have a radius of around 14 metres.
The airport has worked closely with the
Civil Aviation Authority and North West Leicestershire District Council to ensure that all
permissions and approvals were implemented
ahead of their arrival. Planning consent was
confirmed in 2008 and since, the airport has
worked in partnership with local based companies and suppliers from across the world to
source the most suitable product for the airport environment and to guarantee the most
effective installation.
With plans to install a further two turbines,
the electricity generated will significantly add
to the airport’s existing suite of environmental measures reducing energy consumption
and carbon emissions.
Neil Robinson, Director of Sustainability, East Midlands Airport said: “We will be
the first UK airport to install turbines on this
scale and the road to get here has been challenging, but we are confident that we have
found the right turbines, that we are working
with the very best partners and now the foundation holes have been dug, we can really see
them taking shape.
“The turbines will be installed for 20 years
and we see it as a significant investment for
the airport and the environment. Throughout
the process, we have been careful to ensure
that they will have no effect on our operations
or be obtrusive for neighbours.”
Earth Hour takes off at Changi and Toronto
SINGAPORE – As part of its efforts to
raise awareness about the environment and
climate change, Changi Airport Group (CAG)
participated in Earth Hour for the third consecutive year. Environmentally friendly
practices will continue to be implemented by
CAG beyond Earth Hour.
As part of the ‘Changi Goes Green’ programme, various initiatives have been implemented which includes dimming lights at
airport terminals by as much as 50% during
off-peak hours, increasing the temperature in
the terminal buildings’ general areas from 23
to 24 degrees celsius and installing motion
sensors in areas such as toilets and offices to
conserve electricity.
Solar panels have also been installed on
the roof of the budget terminal and are generating about 950 kWh of energy a day, resulting in energy savings amounting to some
S$80,000 a year.
CAG became ISO 14001 certified and has
also attained the Green Mark for Terminal 3
in 2009 – a reflection of the company’s efforts to incorporate best practices in environmental design and construction. Terminal 2
will receive its Green Mark status later this
year, while CAG will pursue the Green Mark
for Terminal 1 after the current upgrading
project is completed.
For the past three years, reductions made
during Earth Hour have also become permanent changes at Toronto Airport. Some of
these include: lighting in the gate lounges in
Terminal 1 has been reduced by 50%; overnight lighting in the terminal baggage claim
area has been reduced; all curbside architectural lighting in the departures level of Terminal 1 has been permanently turned off; the
service area level lighting in T1 and T3 has
reduced lighting during the midnight hours.
This will be Toronto’s fourth consecutive
year participating in Earth Hour and the goal
for this year’s reduction of power is 10%.
Stockholm’s taxi system wins another
environmental award
runway configuration and capacity, potential
closure, and the strategy decided by the ATC
tower chief.
The controller uses a specific interface
to give departure or start-up clearances at
the most appropriate time in order to fuel
runways depending on their capacity, hence
reducing delays, fuel use and aircraft congestion.
At the heart of the system and through this
project, MAESTRO also yields reduced environmental nuisance through lower emissions,
noise and fuel consumption thanks to notable
cuts in taxiing and waiting time (two minutes
less for each aircraft on average).
The implementation is a success for the
technical teams of Egis Avia who managed
to transpose the DMAN concept to an operational system in less than two years; above
all, it is a significant breakthrough in terms of
sustainable air transport.
Pioneering hydrogen fuel trial
ready for Stansted take-off
Pioneering new green fuel technology that could drive down emissions
and power airport vehicles of the future
will be unveiled at London Stansted this
spring. Britain’s third busiest airport will
be the first UK company to test a new hydrogen refuelling system (HFuel) and two
specially adapted vehicles as part of ITM
Power’s nationwide Hydrogen On Site
Trials programme (HOST).
Dr Andy Jefferson, Stansted Airport’s
head of health, safety and environment,
said: “Environmental management at
London Stansted is critical to the sustainability of our business and is an issue that
we take extremely seriously, so we’re
delighted to be working with ITM Power
and launch their ground-breaking Hydrogen On Site Trial project at the airport.
“We are extremely proud of the fact
that air quality levels at Stansted are
lower than the limits set by the EU. It is
by continually focusing on our environmental performance that we will be able
to maintain and improve those levels further. The project with ITM is a key part of
this strategy and by working in partnership with them, we can evaluate whether
hydrogen is a viable alternative fuel for
airport vehicles.”
Schiphol first with LEED Platinum
certification in the Netherlands
MAESTRO conducts the symphony at CDG
PARIS – French air navigation service
provider DSNA has been using a new software tool called MAESTRO Departure Manager (DMAN) at Paris Charles de Gaulle
Airport since November 2010. The system,
which contributed to the accreditation of the
Airport-Collaborative Decision Making status for CDG, allows better coordination between airport stakeholders and more efficient
departure sequencing.
Collaborative decision making aims to
improve coordination between airport stakeholders (airport operator, airlines, traffic
control) for an optimum utilisation of airport
capacity and smoother traffic flows.
MAESTRO provides a pre-departure sequence to regulate and minimise aircraft
queues at runway threshold. It compiles and
processes air traffic management and airport
data and assigns each aircraft a runway and
a trajectory at Paris-CDG Airport based on

AIRPORT
BRIEFS
STOCKHOLM – Stockholm-Arlanda Airport won the “Environmental Initiative of the
Year” prize at Wednesday evening’s Grand Travel Award 2011 for its work to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions from taxi travel from the airport. By giving precedence to cars that run on
green fuel, Stockholm-Arlanda has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by thousands of tonnes
since the taxi system was introduced in March last year.
The taxi dispatch system at Stockholm-Arlanda is the only one in the world that automatically gives the shortest waiting times to cars with the lowest environmental impact. Taxi emissions are calculated based on the vehicle’s registration certificate, but since net emissions are
lower with green fuel, a 65% deduction in emissions is made for cars that run on ethanol and
an 85% deduction is made for those that run on biogas, in line with the Swedish Environmental
Protection Agency’s emissions model.
To ensure that vehicles that run on green fuel actually refuel with it, there is a monitoring
system which checks that cars refuel with at least 80% of the fuel indicated. The results of the
project have reached beyond the airport, with the share of ‘green’ taxis in the whole of Stockholm increasing in line with the incentive from the airport.
The Award judges said: “Stockholm-Arlanda’s new ecotaxi concept gives precedence to
dispatch ecotaxis with the lowest carbon dioxide emissions using an advanced IT system. The
share of ecotaxis at the airport has thus nearly doubled in six months to 87%. The initiative
clearly promotes change and can be copied by many other hubs where taxis queue. The fact
that all taxi passengers in Stockholm have a better chance of travelling in an environmentally
clean taxi is a bonus.”
Amsterdam Schiphol has been awarded
the LEED Platinum certificate for sustainable construction for its TransPort office
building. This is the first time that a building in the Netherlands has been awarded
this international certificate by the United
States Green Building Council. LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) is the international sustainability
mark. TransPort has been awarded the
highest ‘Platinum’ level.
“We started the construction of TransPort three years ago with the aim of constructing a sustainable, commercial office
building to the highest international standards,” said Maarten de Groof, CCO of
Schiphol Group. “We’re proud that our
efforts have been rewarded with this internationally renowned certificate. We’re
also delighted that transavia.com and
Martinair are very satisfied with their new
sustainable head office.”
@
For further information on
developments across the
aviation industry:
www.enviro.aero
AIRPORT CARBON ACCREDITATION NEWS
Airport Carbon Accreditation is the European carbon standard for airports, established by Airports Council International - Europe. The programme assesses and
recognises the efforts of airports to manage and reduce their carbon emissions with four levels of award: ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’, ‘Optimisation’ and ‘Neutrality’.
Currently, 43 airports (accounting for over 44% of European passenger traffic) take part in the programme, saving more than 749,000 tonnes of CO2 to date.
Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has become certified by Airport Carbon Accreditation for the reduction of CO2 at the airport
in 2009. The certified reduction achieved
by Schiphol amounts to approximately
130,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2009.
The Energy Strategy 2020 programme
sets out Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s
targets in terms of responsible energy use
and the reduction of fossil fuel consumption. This will be achieved by means of five
different initiatives: creating an efficient
energy management system, stimulating
third parties at the airport to do the same,
producing and storing sustainable energy
on-site, applying IT to learn more about
energy usage patterns, and increasing the
level of awareness amongst Schiphol staff.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol intends to be
carbon-neutral by 2012 with respect to the
activities of the Aviation, Consumers and
Real Estate business areas at the Schiphol
location.
To this end it has developed a step-bystep plan to achieve a maximum reduction
in CO2 emissions. With a 2.2% reduction,
the 2010 energy efficiency target was met.
A total of 122 efficiency measures were
introduced representing a total conserva-
tion of over 44.6 TeraJoules; this does not
include sustainably generated energy. This
saving is comparable to the annual electricity
consumption of approximately 1,450 households. The savings were realised by means of
intelligent switching (reducing or switching
off lighting or ventilation), the use of energyefficient ventilation pumps and cooling units
when replacing or renovating old equipment,
and energy-efficient lighting. As LED lighting uses 40% to 50% less energy, it is being
applied in an increasing number of locations
inside and outside the terminal.
The airport aims to generate 20% of its energy in a sustainable manner at the Schiphol
location by 2020. This percentage stood at
1.2% in 2010 (0.8% in 2009). In 2010 various
locations were prepared for the installation of
solar panels, in order to gain further experience in the generation of sustainable energy.
Budapest Airport
At the European Air Traffic Movements
conference, European Commission Vice
President in charge of Transport, Siim Kallas
presented Budapest Airport with the certificate for its first achievement within Airport
Carbon Accreditation.
Budapest Airport became accredited at the
Mapping level, thanks to their achievement
in mapping the CO2 emissions under their direct control, with commitment to better carbon management in the future.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of European airports trade body, ACI Europe said
“Budapest Airport is a perfect example of a
new breed of airport developing in Eastern
Europe. In becoming accredited today, they
are taking the first step to better carbon management in both their daily operations and
their long term strategy.”
Presenting the certificate, Siim Kallas, European Commission Vice President in charge
of Transport commented “I congratulate Budapest Airport on this achievement. Their
accreditation, along with the recent accreditation of Chisinau Airport and the renewal
of Dubrovnik Airport is proof that this programme is not restricted to the larger airports
of Western Europe. I believe that Airport Carbon Accreditation is playing a crucial role in
helping move European aviation onto a more
sustainable footing.”
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport has been certified by Airport Carbon Accreditation, the standard for
carbon management and reduction at European airports.
Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport
said: “Our target is to reduce our carbon emissions by 50% over the next 10 years. Achieving Airport Carbon Accreditation signals an
important milestone for us. We are already
well on our way to achieving the next level of
accreditation as we look to reduce our carbon
emissions year-on-year.”
Gatwick is working on a number of key
projects to reduce carbon, for example, it will
be installing electric vehicle charge points
not only for vehicles on the airfield but also in
public car parks, benefiting passenger’s and
also supporting the Government’s ambition
to develop a national network. A designated
carbon management zone is also being identified for vehicles operating on the airfield
which can incentivise business partners to
use cleaner vehicles. Low carbon technology
is already in use within the buildings such as,
energy efficient lighting and sensor controlled
passenger travelators and escalators.
Munich Airport
Munich Airport has been certified at the
Optimisation level of Airport Carbon Accreditation. Munich is the first airport in Germany
to receive this accreditation level.
Munich Airport submitted its accreditation
request in 2010, retroactively for 2009. The
decisive factor for the success of the appli-
cation was the fact that the CO2 emissions
recorded in 2009 were 17,000 tonnes lower
than the average level of the preceding
three years.
An example of the airport-wide cooperation in climate protection efforts in Munich
is Airport Collaborative Decision Making.
In this process, a systematic exchange
of information and quick decision making
processes involving the airport operating
company, airlines, air traffic control and
other partners help to shorten the taxiing
and waiting times for aircraft at the airport,
saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions.
The airport is also taking decisive action
to address the needs of climate protection
in its strategic expansion plans. The design
of the new satellite terminal to be built on
the eastern apron to expand the capacity of
Terminal 2 is in strict accordance with sustainable construction principles.
The new building will have 40% lower
CO2 emissions per unit of floor space than
the two existing terminals. Among the concepts making this possible are an innovative ventilation system and a special facade
design using insulated glass on the outside
walls facing the apron areas.
www.airportcarbonaccreditation.org
6 BIOFUELS & ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Green Flight Times
January - May 2011
Boeing issues first Latin American study on
jatropha sustainability
Algae fuel farm established at Madrid Airport
MADRID – Iberia airlines, Spanish airport
and air traffic control organisation AENA and
AlgaEnergy have unveiled a microalgaebased biofuel production project that will be
established at Madrid-Barajas airport.
The research platform, with an initial budget of more than €600,000, will be installed
near Terminal 4 of the airport and will become operational in June 2011. The platform
will be devoted to research, experimentation,
and improving technologies for sequestering carbon dioxide and for the cultivation
of microalgae. The purpose is to reduce the
production costs of biomass and to achieve
profitable biofuel production.
Spain’s airport and air traffic control
agency AENA granted the site for the platform which will be managed by AlgaEnergy.
Helping to design the platform were scientists from the Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis Institute and from the universities
of Seville and Almeria.
The technological platform will be supplied with distilled water from the Iberia purification plant in its industrial site in the airport complex, and with CO2 from AENA and
recovered at Iberia’s aircraft engine bench
test facility in its Madrid-Barajas maintenance hangars, where it is currently emitted
into the atmosphere. Both AENA and Iberia
will analyse the use of the biofuel obtained to
power airport ground vehicles and aircraft.
The project situates AENA and Iberia at
the vanguard of research into the biological
sequestering of CO2 and into ecological biofuels, whereby they contribute to sustainable
development and environmental protection.
Through photosynthesis, the microalgae
transforms the CO2 it captures as a nutrient
for its own subsistence into an energy source.
In addition, some of the 40,000 estimated
to exist on earth contain fatty acids that can
be converted into biofuel. Research into the
cultivation and production of microalgae biomass at the facility, which needs no soil nor
large amounts of water (recovered waste water can be used) will be aimed at improving
essential aspects of algae-base biofuel that is
rich in fats, from which second-generation
biofuel can be made.
The new research facility will also supply biomass to partners in the CENIT-VIDA
programme (Comprehensive Evaluation of
Microalgae) headed by the utility company
Iberdrola, also a shareholder in AlgaEnergy.
The facility will also be used to develop the
patents of the biological processes AlgaEnergy has acquired from Spain’s CSIC national
scientific research institute. The universities
of Seville and Almeria, world pioneers in this
field, will contribute to the achievement of
the project’s aims via the knowledge acquired
in decades of research into microalgae.
From left to right: CEO of Iberia, Antonio Vázquez; CEO of AENA, Juan Lema; the Secretary
of State for Transport, Isaías Táboas; and CEO of AlgaEnergy, Augusto Rodríguez Villa at
the launch of the Madrid Barajas Airport algae biofuel project.
AN ATAG PUBLICATION
Powering the
future of flight
The six easy steps to growing a
viable aviation biofuels industry
Download a copy now at
www.flyonbiofuels.org
SEATTLE – Boeing has released research
conducted by Yale University’s School of
Environmental Studies showing significant
potential for sustainable aviation fuel based
on jatropha-curcas, an oil-producing, non-edible plant. The study shows that, if cultivated
properly, jatropha can deliver strong environmental and socioeconomic benefits in Latin
America and greenhouse gas reductions of up
to 60% when compared to petroleum-based
jet fuel.
The Yale study used sustainability criteria
developed by the Roundtable on Sustainable
Biofuels to assess actual farming conditions
in Latin America. Unlike previous studies,
which used theoretical inputs, the Yale team
conducted extensive interviews with farmers
and used field measurements to develop the
first comprehensive sustainability analysis of
actual projects. Boeing is supporting the current Mexican Government roadmap assessment on aviation biofuels, “Plan de Vuelo,”
and this data will contribute to that effort. The
peer-reviewed data is applicable to similar
conditions in Mexico and also provides guidance to Brazilian efforts to develop a commercial aviation biofuels market.
“The invaluable insights provided by this
study will help our airline customers to better
understand the sustainability of this potential
jet fuel source, while also providing solid
scientific data to governments and environmental organisations throughout the region,”
said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Director
of Environmental Strategy Michael Hurd.
Boeing has also joined with the Ecole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
to establish the Sustainable Biomass Con-
sortium, a research initiative focused on
increasing collaboration between voluntary
standards and regulatory requirements for
biomass used to create jet fuel and bioenergy
for other sectors. The consortium will also
seek to lower overall sustainability certification costs.
Currently, there are a number of sustainability criteria being developed for biofuels.
This presents a problem for aviation, which
may have to comply with multiple certification systems as it flies aircraft from one part
of the world to the other. The Boeing-funded
project will pursue a way of smoothing over
the differences in criteria, to make them more
compatible with each other and make life
easier for airlines wishing to use sustainable
aviation biofuels.
Research projects will commence in April
2011 and the scope of work over the next two
years will include projects in China, Africa,
the EU, Latin America, North America and
Australasia. Specifics will be announced as
projects are launched, and more than 10 are
currently in development.
Alitalia and Solena
study Rome waste for
biojet possibility
ROME – Alitalia and biofuels producer
Solena Group are to initiate a study on the
feasibility of the construction of a plant capable of converting municipal solid waste in
a significant portion of the jet fuel needed by
the Alitalia aircraft fleet, thus ensuring the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and
provide a stable supply of fuel.
The study is aimed at assessing the feasibility of implementing a system for the conversion of hundreds of thousands of tonnes
of municipal solid waste into aircraft biofuel,
in order to meet part of Alitalia’s fuel needs,
reducing the consumption of conventional jet
fuel and as a consequence of CO2 emissions
into the atmosphere (by up to 96%).
The use of technology of the Solena Group
will produce alternative aviation fuel through
a process of gasification at high temperature
of the waste, which will be transformed into
a gas which is then converted into liquid
by means of an industrial chemical process
called Fischer-Tropsch.
Alitalia and Solena Group believe that this
innovative conversion process can contribute
to a significant reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions generated by the aircraft fleet.
The agreement between Alitalia and Solena Group is part of the innovative programme
called Green Sky which has already seen Solena Group cooperate with British Airways
for the conversion of significant percentages
of municipal solid waste of the London metropolitan area into jet fuel for aircraft operating at London City Airport. Solena has also
signed an agreement with Qantas Airways.
Nanotechnology could pave the way for hydrogen fuels
GLASGOW – EADS Innovation Works,
the Group’s corporate research arm, is working with university researchers to find a new
solid state storage system for hydrogen. This
technology would make it possible to use
hydrogen as a clean alternative to traditional
hydrocarbon-based fuels in aircraft engines.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel which produces
only water on combustion or when combined
with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electrical power. However, it can be expensive and
difficult to store safely. In addition, to store
hydrogen as a gas demands high volumes,
while to store as a liquid increases weight and
the energy requirement (to compress it).
Storage of hydrogen in a solid is, therefore, very attractive but minimising weight
and volume of the store is challenging and the

rate of transfer from the tank to a fuel cell or
engine is often slow. These barriers are currently holding back the use of hydrogen on an
industrial scale in fuel cells to provide power
for aircraft.
Chemists at the University of Glasgow are
working with EADS by using nanotechnology to alter the design and material composition of a storage tank with the aim of making
it so efficient that it will be feasible to use
solid state hydrogen on an industrial scale
for aircraft. If the developments to the tank
structure are successful, EADS is planning
to fly an un-manned hydrogen-powered test
plane in 2014 with a longer term view of introducing commercial aeroplanes powered
by hydrogen.
Duncan Gregory, Professor of Inorganic
Materials at the School of Chemistry at the
University of Glasgow, is leading the research. He is using nanotechnology to alter
the structure of the Hydrisafe Tank, which is
a new design under development by Hydrogen Horizons.
Professor Gregory said: “Using new active
nanomaterials in combination with novel storage tank design principles presents a hugely
exciting opportunity to address the considerable challenges of introducing hydrogen as a
fuel for aviation.” EADS and Prof Gregory’s
team are seeking funding from the European
Union to build a European-wide team of academic and industrial partners to examine the
wider issues relating to using hydrogen on an
industrial scale to power aircraft engines.
BIOFUEL BRIEFS
Spanish Government, Iberia, and
Airbus launch biofuel initiative
The Spanish government, Iberia Airlines
and Airbus have signed an agreement to develop a complete Spanish ‘value chain’ for
sustainable and renewable aviation biofuel
for commercial use.
The agreement promotes and backs initiatives to develop a complete biofuel production chain for Spanish aviation, using
sustainable resources from production to
consumption in commercial aviation, with
special consideration on economic and
technical analysis.
The value chain brings together farmers,
oil-refiners and airlines to spearhead the
commercialisation of sustainable biofuel
production. Phase one of the project will
be the feasibility study. Phase two will narrow down the most promising solutions to a
demonstration level, and phase three from
2014 onwards will look at implementation
and scaling up of the production process.
Qantas sustainable fuel strategy
Qantas has announced a collaboration with
US-based renewable energy company Solazyme to investigate opportunities for algaebased sustainable aviation fuel. The agreement will see Qantas and Solazyme work
together over the next year to develop a business case for the introduction of Solazyme’s
algal-derived sustainable fuel technology in
Australia. Alongside a similar arrangement
with the Solena Group for waste-based sustainable fuel, the study will form part of the
Qantas Group’s long-term strategy to help
accelerate the commercialisation of ‘drop-in’
alternative jet fuels as a means of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
aviation.
Airbus and Tarom launch Europe’s
first biofuel ‘value-chain’
Airbus and Tarom airlines together with
a consortium of key stakeholders including Honeywell’s UOP and CCE (Camelina
Company España), have begun a project
to establish sustainable local biojet fuel
processing and production. The Romanianbased project aims to provide a biofuel
made from the camelina plant, as a renewable, sustainable substitute to fossil based
jet fuel. The project is being overseen by a
Romanian-based non governmental organisation and Airbus is acting as the catalyst in
getting the Romanian value chain up and
running.
Once feasibility studies on agricultural,
technological and aeronautical development
and sustainability assessment are complete,
the project will also assess the existing refining facilities in order to identify the Romanian production capability. Camelina is
the chosen feedstock because of its energy
potential, its rotational crop qualities, its
green house gas reduction potential and its
low water requirements. Camelina is also
indigenous to Romania, and can be readily
farmed and harvested by family farmers.
Interjet and Airbus launch Mexican biofuel value chain
MEXICO CITY – Interjet and Airbus
conducted the first jatropha-based biofuel
flight in Mexico in early April using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The biofuel was made
from locally sourced jatropha plant harvested
in the southern state of Chiapas. The aim of
the demonstration flight and the project is to
speed up the commercialisation of aviation
biofuel in Mexico.
The A320 flight was from Mexico City’s
International Airport to Angel Albino Corzo
of Tuxtla Gutierrez airport in the southern
State of Chiapas, with one of the two CFM
engines using 30% biofuel. The jatropha biofuel was processed by Honeywell’s UOP.
“The test flight is the realisation of a two
year ambition for Interjet to develop a pro-
duction chain for renewable biofuel, with
the purpose of creating a Mexican platform
for sustainable aviation bio-kerosene,” said
Miguel Aleman, Interjet President.
“Airbus, Interjet and the many stakeholders involved in making today’s flight a reality, have taken an important step towards
establishing an aviation biofuel solution that
is both commercially viable and environmentally sustainable,” said Paul Nash, Airbus
Head of New Energies.
“This flight serves as evidence that our
sector is serious about its commitment to
achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020 and
a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050
compared to 2005 levels.”
The project is being supported by Mexico’s
Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), Airports and Auxiliary Services
(ASA), the State of Chiapas, the European
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), CFM and
Airbus to ensure the biofuel meets all specification for flight without any changes to the
aircraft or engines. CO2 life cycle studies
show that jatropha has the potential to reduce
the overall CO2 footprint by up to 80% over
standard aviation kerosene.
Airbus has developed a roadmap working
towards making alternative fuel and biofuel
technology a reality for aviation, while exploring all types of sustainable alternative
fuels to find sustainable and local biofuel solutions for local communities.
7
Supporting a Greener Future for Flight
www.enviro.aero
Southwest Airlines’
pilots begin flying
new, efficient,
procedures at 11
airports
DALLAS – Southwest Airlines’ pilots
began Required Navigation Performance
(RNP) efficient flight procedures in January
at 11 airports nationwide. This major milestone to reduce environmental impact with
a more efficient operation and to assist the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on
NextGen initiatives is the culmination of a
four-year project with partners Boeing, GE,
and Honeywell.
RNP is satellite-based navigation that
brings together the accuracy of GPS (Global
Positioning System), the capabilities of advanced aircraft avionics, and new flight procedures.
“RNP sets the stage for Southwest to
continue doing its part to conserve fuel, improve safety, and reduce carbon emissions,
while simultaneously taking advantage of the
high-performance characteristics that exist in
an airline’s fleet,” said Captain Jeff Martin,
Southwest’s Vice President of the Operations
Coordination Center.
Southwest’s pilots and dispatchers now
follow these new efficient flight procedures
and enhanced avionics to fly specifically designed satellite-based navigation approaches
to many Southwest airports.
The primary airports with efficient RNP
procedures include Amarillo, Birmingham,
Boise, Corpus Christi, Los Angeles, Chicago
Midway, Oakland, Oklahoma City, West
Palm Beach, Raleigh-Durham, and San Jose.
With RNP/NextGen procedures designed
at 11 Southwest airports, the airline’s projected savings is $16 million a year, with an
anticipated savings of more than $60 million
per year once all Southwest airports have efficient RNP procedures.
“RNP is a significant step in the future for
the NextGen Air Traffic Control system,”
said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
“This milestone culminates substantial efforts by our Company working with the FAA
to position Southwest as a leading participant
in a modernised air traffic control system.”
GE Aviation’s flight management system
TrueCourse is providing the technology to
enable RNP.
“TrueCourse enables operators to fly the
most efficient RNP operations available,”
said Chris Beaufait, president of Avionics for GE Aviation Systems. “Southwest is
well equipped and is positioning to lead the
way in the expansive use of these approved
routes realising fuel, emission and noise reductions.”
The TrueCourse flight management system controls the aircraft track to an accuracy
of 10 metres (33 feet) and the time of arrival
to within 10 seconds to any point in the flight
plan.
Benefits include the ability to fly shorter
flight paths and idle-thrust descents which
reduces fuel consumption, thereby lowering
emissions and community noise levels.
Software and hardware updates provide
the latest technology to continue to meet
the needs of the world’s evolving airspace
requirements, offering safe and efficient
improvements to aircraft operations and dispatch reliability.
“I am very proud of our Flight Operations
Team for the design, training, and implementation of NextGen procedures, including training more than 5,900 Pilots to fly
Primary Flight Display Navigation Display
(PFD/ND) procedures,” said Captain Chuck
Magill, Southwest Airlines Vice President of
Flight Operations.
“This extensive training allows us to capture RNP procedures as well as provide flexibility in any new aircraft platform we might
use in the future.”
GE Aviation study shows millions in
savings for airlines, reduced flight
time for travellers
WASHINGTON DC – Airlines could save at least $65.6 million annually while slashing
carbon emissions and cutting flight times by implementing new flight paths at 46 mid-size
airports across the US, according to study results released by GE Aviation. The findings of
the study, Highways in the Sky, come at a critical time in the debate on the future of our aging
national air traffic control infrastructure, where additional investment is increasingly measured
against proven benefits to the economy, environment and the everyday traveller.
GE’s Highways in the Sky study illustrates the potential for significant economic and environmental benefit of near-term deployment of Required Navigation Performance (RNP)
landing approaches. Although the study focused on 46 mid-sized U.S. airports, the data and
analysis supports accelerated deployment of RNP at any airport. GE’s study of the 46 airports
concludes that deployment of RNP instrument arrivals would annually save:
•
nearly 13 million gallons of jet fuel, or over 500 round-trip flights from New York to
Los Angeles;
•
$65.6 million, a savings equivalent to the full-time salary of 1,573 middle-class jobs;
•
274.6 million pounds of CO2, equal to the carbon absorbed every year by 1,384,095
trees; and
•
747 days of flight time, or roughly two years and 17 days in the sky.
“We are facing a serious global challenge as air traffic increases and our skies become more
and more congested,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, President and CEO of GE Aviation Systems.
“This is an opportunity to provide tangible benefits to every stakeholder; responsible growth
of an essential industry, better asset utilisation, lower fuel burn and cost for airlines, greater
throughput for airports and ANSPs, fewer delays for passengers, lower emissions and noise for
communities and reduced dependence on foreign oil.”
RNP technology allows aircraft to fly precisely-defined trajectories without relying on
outdated, ground-based radio-navigation signals. Independence from a fixed, ground based
infrastructure, linked with the inherent precision of satellite navigation and advanced computer technology aboard the aircraft allow the creation of shorter, more consistent and more
efficient flight paths. The consistency and efficiency of the new flight paths can reduce flight
delays helping to alleviate costly air traffic congestion. ICAO, the International Civil Aviation
Organization, has predicted that efficiencies made possible by RNP alone can cut global CO2
emissions by 13 million tonnes per year.
In many locations around the world, RNP is already demonstrating significant benefits. In
Brisbane, government sponsored trials demonstrated that RNP instrument approach procedures
saved aircraft operators 882,000 pounds of jet fuel a year, even though only 18% of the aircraft
were capable of flying the procedures. Based on those results, Airservices Australia is implementing RNP at 28 airports nationwide, which it expects will save operators nearly 86 million
pounds of jet fuel each year.
Where will you be on 21
and 22 March next year?
Plan to be in Geneva, for the
2012 Aviation &
Environment Summit
The 6th Aviation & Environment Summit will be held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 and 22
March 2012. The Summit is the premier industry-led aviation environment event worldwide.
It provides leaders of the aviation industry with a platform to discuss the latest environmental
projects, develop a pathway towards carbon-neutral growth and announce the collaborative
efforts that are underway across the globe. The 2012 event importantly comes just a few
months ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (the Rio+20
Earth Summit).
 To register, or for more information:
www.enviro.aero/summit
Dassault evaluates
laminar designs in
flight for Clean Sky
SAINT-CLOUD – Dassault Aviation recently performed a successful flight test to
evaluate potential applications of a laminar
wing for large business jets and large aircraft.
The flight was performed with a Falcon 7X
at Dassault’s Flight Test Centre in Istres,
France.
The tests are part of the “Smart Fixed
Wing Aircraft” (SFWA), one of the Integrated Technology Demonstrators of the European Clean Sky initiative. Clean Sky, one
of Europe’s largest research initiatives ever,
aims to develop technologies for cleaner and
quieter next-generation aircraft which will
enter service beyond 2020.
Among other aerodynamic innovations, a
laminar wing offers the largest potential for a
dramatic decrease in drag. Laminar wings are
currently only used on sail planes and small
business jets.
Initial studies indicate a potential 5-10%
drag decrease and corresponding reduction in
fuel burn and CO2 emissions with a laminar
wing design on a large aircraft. Demonstrations and analysis on a larger scale have yet
to be performed to confirm the efficient and
safe application on larger aircraft.
 INTERVIEW
Robert-Jan Smits is the Director General for Research
and Innovation at the European Commission.
Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative
Clean Sky, a public private partnership between the European Commission and the Aeronautical Industry, was set up to bring significant step technology changes regarding the
environmental impact of aviation. The Clean Sky Joint Technology Initative will speed up
technological breakthrough developments and shorten the time to market for new and cleaner solutions tested on full scale demonstrators, contributing significantly to reducing the
environmental footprint of aviation.
What are the main expectations from the Commission regarding Clean Sky both for
2011 and at programme completion?
The five existing Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs) are essential for realising Europe’s ambitions in effectively linking research and innovation and addressing societal challenges in
a number of key areas, where Europe’s competitiveness is at stake. These Public-Private
Partnerships (PPPs) can help correct market failures, increase “efficiency” of public support
in R&D, address gaps in innovation systems and better integrate industrial research. For this
reason, the Commission looks forward to the completion of Clean Sky technical programme
and a successful testing of demonstrators, including flight testing, as foreseen in the work
programme for 2011. Flight testing has taken place on first components which is encouraging. Clean Sky should go on establishing the relevant technologies for low environmental
impact in line with the fleet renewal strategy by mid 2020.
What is your opinion about the Clean Sky-type JTI structure? What can be expected
for Clean Sky stakeholders, from the “simplification” process regarding research funding?
The Clean Sky JTI is a PPP between the European Commission and Europe’s aeronautics
stakeholders. The idea is to bring together the best from the public and the private side with
a long term perspective. Clean Sky involves presently more than 400 organisations from
24 countries and the supporting Joint Undertaking is now fully operational. We can already
draw some conclusions for the future based on the way Clean Sky operates, also on basis of
the draft-interim evaluation. On the simplification issue, we are working towards streamlining the procedural and administrative aspects of the Framework Programme and the JTI concept in order to target research and innovation more effectively. By Commission Decision
of January 2011, a set of short term simplification measures was introduced for participants
of FP7. Further simplification will come with the Commission proposal for the Common
Strategic Framework for research and innovation that will be adopted by year end.
Do you consider that the continuation of a JTI concept should be included in the next
research and innovation funding programme?
JTIs are a novel flagship initiative within FP7. They were set up to address sectors of major
importance where Europe’s competitiveness needs to be strengthened and for which the
standard instruments of the Framework Programme were deemed not to be sufficient. The
Commission is currently considering the lessons learnt, in the light of both the report of
the High-Level Group of Industry Experts on Public-Private Partnerships in research and
the interim evaluations of the JTIs. It will present its reflections on the way forward in the
forthcoming Communication on Partnering in Research and Innovation.
SESAR: Paving the way in environmental standards
BRUSSELS – Air traffic management affects when, how far, how high, how fast and
how efficiently aircraft fly. These factors
in turn influence how much fuel an aircraft
burns, the release of greenhouse and other
gases from its engines and how much noise
it makes. ATM enhancements, through the
optimisation of horizontal and vertical flight
profiles, have the potential to dramatically
reduce in-flight CO2 emissions. An important part of SESAR’s work in this area stems
from involvement in AIRE (the Atlantic interoperability initiative to reduce emissions),
which was launched in 2007 in cooperation
with the FAA. The SESAR JU is responsible
for managing the initiative from a European
perspective.
AIRE is designed to improve energy efficiency and lower engine emissions and aircraft noise, by bringing ATM stakeholders
together to perform integrated flight trials
and demonstrations. Like the SESAR programme, AIRE aims to produce gradual improvements which can be easily implemented
by each partner.
In July 2010, a further 18 projects involving 40 airline, airport, air navigation service
providers and industry partners were selected. More than 5,000 trials are expected to
take place during 2010/11.The philosophy of
the 2010/11 activities is to try to transform
results from “flight trials” into “day-to-day
operations”. Consequently, the initiative has
been significantly expanded to include more
locations, operational procedures, and many
new partners. A special emphasis has been
put on including green gate-to-gate trials
(across several ATC centres), and seven of
the selected projects will cover this area. Out
of the remaining projects, two cover surface
operations, five cover terminal operations
and four cover oceanic operations.
Final results of this cycle of AIRE projects
are expected in early 2012. However, initial
results have already shown that through the
optimisation of operations alone, it is possible to make significant gains in terms of
CO2 emissions, and to lower noise levels in
and around airports. AIRE has proven that,
without major technological investments, the
value of working together towards common
goals can be enormous. This is the partnership spirit in practice.
One of the projects selected in 2010 under the terminal operations category is the
REACT-CR project (reduction of emissions
using CDAs in TMA in Czech Republic). The
project, led by Czech Airlines, aims to implement a continuous descent approach (CDA)
on flights from Moscow, Amsterdam, Paris
and Bucharest landing at Ruzyně Airport in
Prague.
Conventional descent procedures use
the principle of descent in steps, combining
periods of descent with periods of horizontal flight, during which engine revolutions
have to be increased. By using the proposed
CDA procedure, aircraft can descend at a
constant 3° angle throughout the entire approach, reducing fuel burn and therefore CO2
emissions. In addition, the initial and final
approach will take place at higher altitudes
above the ground, thus minimising both engine output and noise.
Czech Airlines estimate that the full deployment of CDA procedures at Ruzyně
Airport could reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 10,000 tonnes annually, along
with decreasing levels of noise from aircraft
by 5 dB.
Czech airlines is cooperating on this project with the Air Navigation Services of the
Czech Republic, Prague Airport, and the
Spanish corporation Pildo Labs. The project
held its first flight trial on 13 April on a Czech
Airlines flight from Bucharest, Romania, to
Ruzyně Airport in Prague. Flight trials are
expected to continue until September 2011,
after which the project will be evaluated and
a proposal for specific CDA procedures for
Prague – Ruzyně Airport will be presented,
with a view to implementation in 2012.
8 FACTS & FIGURES
Green Flight Times
January - May 2011
82%
628,000,000 tonnes
A jet aircraft coming off the production line today is around 80%
more fuel efficient per seat km than one delivered in the 1960s.
Worldwide, flights produced 628 million tonnes of CO2 last year.
Globally, humans produced over 30 billion tonnes of CO2.
2%
The global aviation industry
produces around 2% of all
human-induced carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions.
12%

Aviation is responsible for 12% of CO2 emissions from all
transport sources, compared to 74% from road transport.

Over 33 million people are employed worldwide in aviation
activities and related tourism. Of this, 5.5 million people work
directly in the aviation industry.
The aviation industry
consumes around 1.5 billion
barrels of Jet A-1 fuel annually.
1,715 airlines operate a fleet
of 23,000 aircraft serving
3,750 airports through a route
network of millions of kms
managed by 160 air navigation
service providers.
Nearly a quarter of the operating costs of airlines is spent on fuel:
23%, which is up from 13% in 2001. The proportion is likely to
rise further as fuel prices go up. So this alone is a major incentive
for the industry to focus on fuel efficiency.
Aviation.
$1.3 trillion
In order for the aviation industry to reach its target of 1.5%
average fleet fuel efficiency per annum from now until 2020, the
world’s airlines will have to purchase 12,000 new aircraft at a
cost of $1.3 trillion.
Airlines saved 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 in 2007 and 6 million
tonnes in 2006 by shortening air traffic routes around the world.
76%
76%
40%
CAR
30%
COACH
1.5%
We will improve our fleet fuel efficiency by 1.5% per annum
between now and 2020.
Stabilise
From 2020, net carbon emissions from aviation will be capped
through carbon-neutral growth.
60%
TRAIN
Alternative fuels, particularly sustainable biofuels, have been
identified as excellent candidates for helping achieve the industry
targets. Biofuels derived from biomass such as algae, jatropha
and camelina have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint of
aviation fuel by up to 80% over their full lifecycle. If commercial
aviation were to get 6% of its fuel supply from biofuel by 2020,
this would reduce its overall carbon footprint by 5%.
Our climate targets:
Globally, the average
occupancy of aircraft is around
76%, greater than other forms
of transport.
AIRCRAFT
80%
Figures for aircraft are worldwide. Figures for
other modes are UK averages.
50%
By 2050, net aviation carbon emissions will be half of what they
were in 2005.
80%
Around 80% of aviation CO2 emissions are emitted from flights of over 1,500 kilometres, for which
there is no practical alternative mode of transport.
3 litres
The new Airbus A380, Boeing
787 and Bombardier CSeries
aircraft use less than 3 litres
of jet fuel per 100 passenger
kilometres. This matches the
efficiency of most modern
compact cars.
The aviation industry was the only global sector to present a
united plan for reducing its emissions to governments at the 2009
Copenhagen Climate Talks.

The South African horn made infamous at the 2010 World Cup,
the vuvuzela, at full blast is rated at 127 decibels. An A380 on the
other hand takes off with a relative whisper at 82dB.
3-5 years
With certification expected at
the beginning of 2011, it is
estimated that the first drops
of sustainable aviation biofuel
could be making their way
into commercial flights in 3
to 5 years. Once production
is scaled up, the % of fuel
supplied will increase rapidly.
2.2 billion
In 2009, over 2.2 billion
passengers were carried by
the world’s airlines.

If aviation were a country, it
would rank 21st in the world
in terms of gross domestic
product (GDP), generating
$425 billion of GDP per year,
considerably larger than
some members of the G20
(and around the same size as
Switzerland).
By 2026, it is forecast that
aviation will contribute $1
trillion to world GDP.
35%
While air transport carries around 0.5% of the volume of world
trade shipments, it is over 35% by value – meaning that goods
shipped by air are very high value commodities, often times
perishable or time-sensitive.
Deliveries of fresh produce from Africa to the UK alone supports
the livelihoods of 1.5 million people, while producing less CO2
than similar produce grown in the UK, despite the energy used in
transport.
Sources:
IATA Economics, ATAG Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Efficiency, IPCC,
ICAO, United Kingdom Department for Transport, Oxford Economics Study
Aviation: the Real World Wide Web, Airbus, Boeing, ATAG Beginner’s
Guide to Aviation Efficiency, ATAG report The Social and Economic Benefits
of Air Travel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), IATA,
ATAG, BBC News, AERO modelling system.