UK Airports Reducing Carbon Footprints
A major gathering of UK airport and aviation bosses in London where the subject of sustainability and carbon reduction was high on their agenda.
It is easy for many to totally criticise the aviation industry on mass and make them an easy target in the many ‘Green’ debates going on currently in the UK election maelstrom.
Virgin Atlantic A350.
However, one key airline boss Shai Weiss of Virgin Atlantic had some positive statements regarding items on those agendas at the AOA or Airport Operators Association conference in London.
He pointed out that the worldwide aviation industry in fact accounts for around 2.5% of current global CO2 emissions. They as a company have already agreed to reduce CO2 by 50% by 2030.
Shai Weiss Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic
Going on to say that with the introduction of newer lean burn twin engine aircraft that will replace planes like the four engine Jumbo jets (Boeing 747’s) or Airbus A340’s. There replacements with the Airbus A350’s and A330’s will reduce that by a further 30 to 35% of CO2, he claims.
With the new 14 A330/9 planes and their A350’s already ordered by 2024 their CO2 will go down by 32% from what it was 10 years ago.
He also mentioned sustainable aviation fuels which he says is vital for the whole of aviation and not just Virgin.
Neville Hargreaves, Vice President, Waste to Fuels, Velocys.
Another speaker from Neville Hargreaves from Velocys, announced that his company has secured new investment to help complete plans for the biorefinery project where the plant will produce green jet fuels from household waste. A planning application has already been submitted.
The proposed plant in Lincolnshire will take hundreds of thousands of tonnes of household solid waste and turn it into clean and green sustainable aviation fuel. The greenhouse gas reduction is around 70% compared with fossil fuel. This is similar to taking up to 40,000 cars per year off the road.
easyJet aircraft at Gatwick Airport London,
Meanwhile easyJet have made headlines with their newly introduced CO2 policy of making each of their flights, carbon neutral.
Neil Slaven was delighted to explain their company plan. For every flight we operate, we’ll offset the carbon it produces from the fuel used. This will be done by investing in projects that include the tree planting or protecting against deforestation, production of renewable energies including solar power and wind, or working with local communities on how to reduce emissions in their way of life.
Neil Slaven, easyJet UK Country Director. AOA Conference, London.
easyJet have said, “We know that carbon offsetting is only an interim measure while new technologies are developed. However, at the moment we believe it’s the best way to remove carbon from the atmosphere. We’ll continue to find other ways to reduce carbon emissions such as taxiing on one engine or removing weight from our aircraft, both of which use less fuel. We have championed the development of electric technology and will continue to do so in order to ensure that flying remains a sustainable option for us all in the future.”
Stuart Wingate CEO of Gatwick Airport. AOA Conference London UK.
Gatwick Airport CEO Stuart Wingate added a list of his airport’s carbon reduction works.
They have now a zero-landfill policy and a waste plant generating some of their own electricity. They buy their electricity from a renewable source supplier.
UK Airports Going Green
Rachel Thompson, Sustainability Manager, Gatwick Airport says, “Some of our early actions, including the purchase of renewable electricity from Haven Power since 2013, have been important to staying on track with our goals for 2020.”
“We believe that Gatwick was among the first airports in the world to go for 100% certified renewable electricity.
Electrical vehicles are in the ascendancy airside, as well as externally, with more to come as oil fuel ones get replaced.
One of the World’s largest automated passenger baggage drop is to be found at Gatwick’s North Terminal being used by easyJet.
Plus, with easyJet flying so many routes from the Sussex airport those offsetting flights is another bonus for them.
Simon McNamara who was speaking for IATA as the UK’s representative of the airline group.
This includes members from the world’s leading passenger and cargo airlines which represents 120 countries and some 290 airlines. Their group carries around 82% of the world’s air traffic.
Simon McNamara UK Country Manager IATA.
“Developing and researching in sustainable fuel is a top priority” he said.
In an online statement from IATA Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO said, “It is our duty to protect the planet from the disastrous impacts of climate change. Some say that the answer to climate change is to stop or heavily reduce flying. That would have grave consequences for people, jobs, and economies the world over. It would be a step backward to an isolated society that is smaller, poorer and constrained.
John Holland-Kaye Chief Executive Officer, Heathrow Airport. AOA Conference, London.
The benefits of air travel and air connectivity was made by the boss of Heathrow Airport, John Holland-Kaye who said that 20 times more business is done between places that have direct air connections around the world.
General conversations with other delegates from UK airports pointed to longer term, developments in short haul electric aircraft that could be soon on the way, hydrogen power could be an option too.
Personally, I am not saying that air travel is without its failings in the climate agenda, but it does provide direct employment for millions here in the UK and around the world.
I do have issues with green beans and flowers being flown in from Africa and then what would happen to those horticultural workers on those farms?
However, from what I heard and saw at the two-day conference the airports and aviation industry here in the UK does seem to be doing its best to try to address concerns of environmental lobby.
Working in and around the travel industry I do see and experience the benefits of travel including air travel but also know we have to protect our planet
But when you see the statistics from around the world showing the biggest CO2 polluters. The efforts as good as they are, seem to be lost in a tsunami of carbon dioxide coming from China, India and the USA.
CO2 Emissions by Country Population. (2019-11-05). Retrieved 2019-12-02, from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/co2-emissions-by-country/
