ZERO – the travel business and the environment

As ZERO is a monthly subscription report, the following is not the current edition.

Cleaner air

From Washington Aviation Summary; comments from ZERO:

[] Alder Fuels and Boeing plan to test Alder’s SAF, due to come from its first factory in 2024.

[] The UK has launched Jet Zero, which commits domestic flights in the UK and airports in England to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2040*.

  The target is to limit CO2 emissions to 2019 levels through efficiencies and new technology. At least 10% of jet fuel should be SAF by 2030, with at least five commercial-scale SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025, helped by the government’s US$206mn (at US$1 to £0.80) Advanced Fuels Fund.

  The government will give US$4.6mn (sic, although seems small) through 2023 to help modernise airspace. Other priorities include development of zero-emission aircraft, and having (some) zero-emission domestic UK routes by 2030.

*Notes: 2040 is 20 years from now and we believe an unconvincing target, for public relations purposes only. 2030 would be a tough target, but surely 2035 is the furthest credible date?

[] US-based Universal Hydrogen has opened a branch office in Toulouse, France, the base of Airbus. UH sells conversion kits – to hydrogen fuel – for ATR72 aircraft.

[] An industry group is studying air carbon capture technology to earn credits. They are Airbus, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Easyjet, ICAG, Latam, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic.

[] Alaska Airlines and Microsoft plan to bring Ejet – a low-carbon jet fuel from recaptured CO2, water and renewable energy – to the market. Dates not given.

[] Vertical Aerospace has confirmed delivery dates for American Airlines’ order for 50 of VA’s VX4 eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft). Despite that announcement, dates not given!

PATA EV programs

Two EF activities by PATA*:

[] With Expedia and Unesco*, has launched an online course on how travel companies can reduce use of single-use plastic.

  The course is linked to the ‘Pledge’ campaign of Expedia and Unesco, which aims to get travel companies to at least promise to be more EF – although without any enforcement or even checking.

  PATA says tourism worsens the EV problem, giving an example that marine litter in the Mediterranean is 40% higher in the peak tourism season. No further details, or examples from PATA’s region. Peak season in the Mediterranean is normally considered July and August.

[] With the EU*-funded Tour Link project, has published a report on standards to reduce food and plastic waste in travel businesses. Confusingly, the cooperation comes via the Switch-Asia program part of Tour Link, and which focuses on Thailand.

*Notes:

-EU is the European Union, comprising 27 member countries (after the UK left end-2019).

-PATA = Pacific Asia Travel Association, a Bangkok-based regional travel promotional body.

-Unesco = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Paris-based specialised agency of the UN, to promote, as its name indicates, education, science, culture. Has 193 member states and 11 associate members. Main Source: Wikipedia.

Cleaner air to cost US$175bn/year

GAN* reports on a new report* that estimates the cost of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions in aviation will be US$175bn annually until 2050. Other estimates:

-Work on developing SAF facilities must grow 5-6x by 2030, which would mean 300 new production plants. Current project pipelines of about 8mn tonnes, but the requirement is for 40-50mn.

-SAF production 3000-7000x in less than 30 years. Currently, 0.05-0.10mn tonnes of SAF are produced per year, but the requirement is for 320mn.

-Requires the market entry of new-propulsion aircraft – hydrogen, battery-electric, hybrid – in the mid-2030s.

-By 2050, aviation share for renewable electricity could be 5-10% of world demand, 10-30% for hydrogen.

*Notes:

-GAN = Green Air News, a UK-based publication on ‘aviation and its impact on climate change and the environment’.

-Report produced by MPP (Mission Possible Partnership) and CST (Clean Skies for Tomorrow).

#environment

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