Airlines Wage War on Carbon Footprint

Strategic Insights -

Airlines globally have been working to reduce their carbon footprint, a war effort that has been largely overlooked. While the industry has improved fuel efficiency by 70 percent since the jet age began, environmental groups remain skeptical of the progress. However, airlines from Australia to Europe are rolling out a range of innovative strategies to make their flights leaner and cleaner.

Key Takeaways:

  • Air New Zealand has installed zonal dryers in its Boeing 767 fleet to eliminate moisture that collects in insulation, reducing fuel consumption by 320,000 liters annually and cutting carbon emissions by 800 tonnes.
  • Qantas has replaced heavy catering trolleys with a new lightweight model, estimated to save 2900 tonnes of fuel and 9100 tonnes of CO2 annually.
  • Virgin Blue plans to save $85,000 a year by using two 20kg ovens in the aft galley rather than three or four installed on 737-700s or 737-800s.
  • The International Air Transport Association has set targets for improving fuel efficiency by 1.5 percent per year through 2020 and cutting emissions to 50 percent of 2005 net emissions by 2050.
  • Greenpeace demands a further 80 percent cut on 1990 levels and calls for a reduction in flights to reduce emissions.
  • Qantas has invested in new aircraft such as the Airbus A380 superjumbo, resulting in significant gains in fuel efficiency.
  • The airline expects the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to give it an efficiency boost of more than 20 percent compared with the Boeing 767 it replaces.
  • A two-and-a-half-year Qantas trial of required navigation performance (RNP) at Brisbane underscored its importance, with annual savings of about 215 tonnes of fuel, 650 tonnes of CO2, 17,000 track miles.
  • The use of biofuels is the area that holds most hope for the future, with Qantas, Virgin Blue, and Air New Zealand members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group.
  • Algae is seen as a promising option for producing biofuel.

Statistics:

  • 70 percent reduction in fuel consumption since the jet age began
  • 20 percent gain in fuel efficiency with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
  • 800 tonnes reduction in carbon emissions annually with zonal dryers
  • 2900 tonnes of fuel saved annually with lightweight catering trolleys
  • 10 percent of $3 billion annual fuel spend using algae biofuel
  • 16.5 percent reduction in CO2 emissions target by 2020

Sources:

  • International Air Transport Association (no date)
  • Greenpeace (no date)
  • Qantas (no date)
  • Air New Zealand (no date)
  • Virgin Blue (no date)
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (no date)