Author: Tom Chatfield, CEO Camber Aviation Management, www.camberaviation.com / solutions@camberaviation.com
Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room - Business Aviation and Sustainability Ten years ago, any discussion about private aviation and sustainability sounded like a distant dream. However, over the past decade, the aviation industry has made significant progress in terms of finding and implementing new green solutions. The effects of eco-pollution, strategies to offset carbon emissions, and plans to better utilise renewables are a few of the important topics that have dominated recent conversations and influenced decision-making within the industry. Private aviation has turned its focus towards sustainability, with rapid investment in new technology and environmentally conscious solutions for jet chartering that will become a standard in the near future.
Carbon Footprints, Fuel Alternatives and Eco-Friendly Private Jets Due to the increase in safety and hygiene concerns when travelling during the pandemic, the demand for private jet transportation has grown rapidly and significantly. While private aviation works to service new customers, its increased popularity has made the industry a focus of critics concerned about the environment. But is the villainisation of aviation justified? Aircraft transportation and all related activities make up less than 2% of the total global carbon footprint, and private jets are only a small part of this. When considering general electricity consumption globally, private aviation is making comparatively minor CO2 contributions. Still, most private aviation companies agree that the sooner we can achieve near zero emission across all fleets the better for everyone. The responsibility to mitigate the effects of a growing carbon footprint, however, will probably fall upon the individual jet owners. WWW.AVIATIONHEAVEN.COM
There are a number of basic steps business jet owners can take to help shrink the industry’s carbon footprint. Unsurprisingly, the biggest issue is fuel. In recent years, the business aviation industry has invested in the research and development of sustainable fuel options. For example, Gulfstream Aerospace has been testing sustainable fuels for nearly a decade, which indicates a commitment to future synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) usage. In 2019, Forbes noted that 23 of the 58 private jets displayed at a business aviation trade show in Geneva were powered by alternative sustainable aviation fuel types. What is the science behind creating more sustainable aircraft fuel? SAF is produced in a number of different ways. Popular methods of production involve the hydroprocessing of plant sources and the reuse of various oils used in the cooking industry. While many new SAF technologies are currently under development, one solution, in particular, stands out from the crowd - synthetic kerosene. Synthetic kerosene is a promising SAF made from processing hydrogen and recycled carbon. Leading fuel companies like Shell have heavily backed the development of this hydrogen-based fuel. The UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recognises SAF as an important resource to combat sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the aviation industry. In 2017, the ICAO officially adopted the “2050 Vision for SAFs” which called upon member states and other stakeholders to commit to substituting a significant proportion of fossil-based aviation fuels with SAF by 2050. With the mass production of electric cars well underway, we can expect to see commercial electrical flights in near future as well. Companies like Lilium are developing all-electric vertical take-off and landing saaircraft.
