Flight path to a lighter carbon footprint

Airlines and airfreight logistics companies are under pressure to “green” the industry.The International Air TransportAssociation (Iata) has set the goal of achieving net-zero CO2emissions by 2050.To meet this goal, much stronger collaboration is needed between airlines, airports, fuel producers, governments and international organisations.Pressure will increase as sea freight, road transport and rail reduce their emissions and improve efficiency.While around 1% of global trade by volume is transported by air, aviation accounts for 2.5% of human-induced CO2 emissions and 3.5% of overall human-made changes to the energy balance in the Earth’s atmosphere, according to researchers Nafisa Lohawala and Zhiqing Wen. Most concerning, they write, is that the sector’s CO2emissions have doubled since the mid-1980s, while demand for airfreight is projected to triple by 2050. The importance of airfreight lies in the value of goods handled – over $8 trillion each year, or approximately 33% of world trade by value, according to Iata. Shippers may be forced by legislation and public opinion to switch to less carbon-intensive transport modes.The European Clean Trucking Alliance puts the carbon footprint of airfreight at 602 grams of CO2 per ton-kilometre compared to 62 grams for road transport, 22 for rail, 16 for short sea shipping and eight for deep sea container vessels – figures which are being used to promote alternatives to air.To meet the challenges, the airline sector is investing in a combination of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), f leet modernisation, electrification, renewable energy, improved operational efficiency, better waste and water management, and carbon offsetting.SAF, produced from sources such as used cooking oil and municipal waste, can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.Major airlines and logistics providers are blending SAF with fossil fuel, as SAF is significantly more expensive. Customers are being offered the option of SAF for their shipments on certain routes.Airlines are replacing older aircraft with more efficient models, while manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing are developing electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems. ER