The global aviation industry produces around 2% of all human-induced carbon dioxide emissions; with that in mind, airlines have made strides in recent years to reduce that impact. British Airways is the most recent airline to tout its progress with three recent announcements regarding its investment in fuel efficiency and eco-technology.
This week, the airline's 25th "Dreamliner" was delivered to its home at Heathrow. The Boeing aircraft, fresh from Seattle, is the most fuel efficient long-haul aircraft and the most technologically advanced aircraft in British Airways’ fleet, the company says. Its 197-foot wing span curvature also allows the aircraft to climb more efficiently and also increases fuel efficiency.
The announcement of the new aircraft follows last week's announcement that British Airways became the first airline to introduce eco-friendly Mototok tugs: high-tech remote controlled devices that push back aircraft. The advanced technology will allow staff to prepare aircraft across the airline’s short-haul operation for departure more efficiently, replacing traditional diesel tugs, the company said. With the new device, a single ramp agent will be able to push a plane backwards from the gate remotely.
British Airways also signed a partnership with renewable fuels company Velocys to design a series of waste plants that convert household waste into renewable jet fuel to power its fleet. The first plant will take hundreds of thousands of tons of household waste per-year and convert it into clean-burning, sustainable fuels, contributing to the airline’s commitment to reduce net emissions by 50% by 2050.
Alternative fuels, particularly sustainable biofuels, have been identified as excellent candidates for helping achieve the aviation industry's goal of improving fleet fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year between 2015 and 2020. Biofuels derived from biomass such as algae, jatropha and camelina have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80% over their full lifecycle. If commercial aviation were to get 6% of its fuel supply from biofuel by 2020, this would reduce its overall carbon footprint by 5%, according to the Air Transport Action Group.
Airlines have joined the journey to improved efficiency. Virgin Atlantic, for example, announced in June that it had dropped its CO2 emissions from more than 5.2 metric tons to slightly over 4 metric tons from a series of carbon savings initiatives including purchase of a multi-billion dollar fleet investment in Boeing 787 aircraft, single-engine taxiing, real-time weather technology to optimize flight planning, and rigorous weight management of all products on the aircraft.
More than 99% of the airline’s direct emissions come from jet fuel use, which is why Virgin focuses most of its environmental efforts in that area, the company said. The rest come from its supply chain, another area of focus.
