More Signs That Airlines are Going Green
June 18, 2008
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With skyrocketing oil prices, the airline industry is struggling to stay afloat with their cost spiraling out of control. With estimated industry wide losses of over $6 billion, airlines are looking for ways to cut their carbon footprint, and in turn their operating costs.
Industry executives are gathering in Washington this week at the Air Transport World Eco-Aviation conference to discuss the challenges facing their industry and finding solutions to cut their carbon footprint. With passenger growth expected to double by 2020, finding a solution quickly is crucial to the future of the industry.
Governments around the world are facing increased pressure from environmental groups to force airlines to cut their carbon emissions. The EU is saying that airlines must enter into their carbon trading program after being previously exempt from the deal. In the US, groups continue to push the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate industry emissions. Environmentalists claim that government action is the only way to force airlines to change and cut their carbon footprint. “Market mechanisms for cutting pollution don’t work,” said Danielle Fugere of Friends of the Earth.
Not surprisingly, airlines disagree with these claims, citing fuel efficiency improvements over the past decade. Much of the progress have come from updating aging fleets to new and more efficient aircraft, helping reduce their overall carbon footprint and fight global warming. Boeing’s new behemoth, the 787 Dreamliner, uses lighter materials that will result in lower fuel usage. Pratt & Whitney expect to see similar efficiency improvements coming from its new geared turbofan jet engine.
However, these examples still have planes powered by fossil fuels, and thus limit any potential decrease in carbon emissions. More recently, the industry is looking to alternative fuel sources, as displayed by Boeing jumping on the algae bandwagon a few weeks ago.
Another area for improvement is air traffic control systems. If these systems were upgraded to a satellite based technology, the improvement in getting planes in and out of airports could result in a lowering of carbon emissions by 10-15%.
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