Singapore aviation and the environment

Green way to fly
Leong Wee Keat, Today Online 18 Feb 08;

SIA looking at 'options' that will allow passengers to take part in reducing carbon footprints

Instead of just being a great way to fly, Singapore Airlines (SIA) may soon also be a greener way to fly.

Amid global concerns over climate change, the airline is "looking at several options" that will allow passengers to take part in a voluntary environment programme to reduce their carbon footprints.

Confirming this, SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw told Today that several options would be evaluated over the next six months before launching a trial scheme.

"The broad goal is that customers can play a role in an environment programme, whether it is an offset scheme or one that contributes to a lowering of greenhouse gases somewhere else. These are the options available that we are looking at now."

SIA's 49-per-cent-owned budget associate, Tiger Airways, is also developing a programme to "effectively counter" environmental issues, said a spokesperson for the airline.

Details will be announced later. For a start, the budget carrier only operates the Airbus A320-200, which it said burns fuel more economically.

Will such carbon-offset programmes take off with Singaporeans?

Business consultant Gary Teo, who travels to regional destinations at least once a month, said he is keen to reduce his carbon footprint — but only if the airline on which he was travelling was willing to at least match his contributions.

"The airlines make a handsome profit. So, if I can contribute, why can't they at least match what I'm doing?" he said.

Another frequent flyer, Ms Adeline Yeo, wondered if such efforts would be enough, as such schemes are voluntary.

"Even if I contribute, I can only do so much," said the logistics executive.

SIA said that, for now, it has some scientific and transparency concerns over carbon-offset schemes, which are usually run with a partner agency.

"We are considering the question but not leaping into it," said Mr Forshaw. The airline believes that practical measures such as getting fuel consumption down, adopting new flight technology and improving flying practices represent the way forward.

Despite this, with the airlines increasingly in the spotlight of green groups, voluntary environment schemes have caught on with many major airlines. Cathay Pacific and sister carrier Dragonair were the first Asian airlines to launch carbon-offset programmes for passengers in December.

The two airlines have also started to offset carbon emissions linked to staff travelling on business on either carrier. Last year, an in-house programme raised HK$1 million to buy offsets, sourced from a wind-farm project in Shanghai, which generates power from turbines to the city's power grid.

Carriers such as British Airways (BA) and Qantas have also joined in. Passengers can contribute to "neutralise" the carbon emitted as a result of their flight. For example, for those flying on Qantas from Singapore to Sydney and back can donate $21 to offset their share of the carbon emission. The money goes to CO2 Australia, which uses it to plant mallee eucalyptus trees Down Under.

But are such green programmes popular with passengers?

Neither BA nor Cathay would reveal the take-up rates for their programmes or the amount that has been collected. A BA spokesman pointed out that its scheme has recently been revised to make it more convenient and the "take-up should not be seen as the only measure of a successful scheme".

Meanwhile, Jetstar Asia has no immediate plans to follow its parent, Jetstar Australia, in offering a voluntary carbon offset scheme. But chief executive Cheong Phit Lian told Today her airline is concerned with "the little things" — reducing the weight of the plane, improving fuel efficiency and reducing wastage.

Later this month, Virgin Atlantic will attempt to use bio-fuel to fly a Boeing 747, with no passengers on board, from London to Amsterdam. It will be the first time a commercial aircraft has taken to the skies on bio-fuel, which can reduce carbon emissions into the environment.

Going forward, airlines operating in Europe could face aviation taxes linked to environmental protection and be forced to comply with the European Union's carbon trading scheme, which is set to kick in by 2012.

Such issues have had an airing in Europe and Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines director-general Andrew Herdman noted that airlines in Asia may soon have to deal with them.

At an aviation conference in Singapore last month, he said, "It is a here-and-now issue for international airlines. And for many of the low-cost carriers who are expanding into long-haul operations, this issue will knock on the doors of many carriers."

Being good stewards of the environment
Business Times 18 Feb 08;

The environmental performance of aircraft involves deliberate effort and is not just a by-product of aircraft design, writes BILLY GLOVER

WITH commercial aviation growing in terms of number of planes operating and passengers taking to the skies, international airports and business and holiday destinations such as Singapore will have an active role in ensuring that growth occurs with minimal impact on the environment.

Changi Airport, which saw record passenger traffic in 2007, up an estimated 4.8 per cent over the previous year, will likely see the growth trend continue.

In Australia, domestic travel between Sydney and Melbourne is averaging 500,000 passengers a month, while airports throughout Asia are adding capacity to handle the projected increases in passenger traffic. Ensuring that we capture all possible efficiencies through emerging technologies, air traffic management, local airport infrastructure and airline operations will be critical to minimising the industry's impact on the planet's ecosystem.

Airlines in the region are already doing their part - from washing their planes between flights to requesting optimised route structures from air traffic officials as a way of attaining fuel and operating efficiency. To illustrate the point, several leading Asia-Pacific carriers have begun tracking the routes they requested versus the routes they were assigned, and estimate they would have gained an additional 10 per cent in efficiency if their initial route requests were granted. That's near-term opportunity waiting to be captured.

New technologies

Many airlines are also improving their fleets by acquiring newer, more efficient aircraft, while looking to retire older, less efficient models. When considered with escalating fuel costs, and mounting global pressures for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, putting the issues into perspective is critical. The challenges are formidable, but not insurmountable.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas and the only Kyoto gas produced by aviation. About 2 per cent of man-made CO2 is produced by commercial aviation. The industry is taking progressive action to keep CO2 emissions low, and there are two ways to accomplish that - use less fuel, or use a fuel with a lower CO2 footprint. As an industry we're focused on technological solutions that have demonstrated progress in both areas.

For Boeing, our environmental commitment begins with research and development of new technologies that will help define the air transportation industry for the 21st century, while minimising the impact of aircraft emissions on the planet. Both are crucial to ensuring a safe, efficient and environmentally progressive air transport system for future generations of travellers.

Progressive new aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner and the 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver significant reductions in noise and fuel emissions, while demonstrating to passengers that aviation is doing its part. Demonstrating eco-commitment with innovation will help to assuage the 'guilt of flying' element that has cropped up in parts of Europe.

But environmental performance is not just a by-product of aircraft design; it's a very deliberate effort that has driven us to continually improve fuel efficiency for our customers. That's good business sense that coincidentally has environmental benefits. For each litre of fuel that isn't burned, it means not emitting 3.2 litres of CO2.

To reduce fuel burn, the 787 design uses carbon fibre, making it lighter than comparable sized aircraft. Less weight means less drag, allowing the Dreamliner to use 20 per cent less fuel (on a per-passenger basis) than similar sized planes. This equates to a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. The plane's efficiency gains also mean a 60 per cent smaller noise 'footprint'. Indeed, both the 787 and 747-8 programmes have taken a life-cycle approach to ensuring that the climate impact of both planes is lower than previous ones.

In other technology areas, Boeing is helping to guide the industry towards the commercialisation of a new generation of plant-based alternative and sustainable fuels that offer a lower carbon footprint. These new biofuels - or biojet - offer significant benefits when you consider a life-cycle approach.

Plant-based fuels absorb CO2 when the feed stocks are growing, meaning those fuels that are produced through sustainable growing practices have the ability to reduce the industry's dependence on fossil fuels, while offering a 50-80 per cent CO2 reduction over the course of their lifetime. That's a tremendous step forward for the aviation industry and its ability to support destinations such as Singapore that rely on tourism and aviation contributions to its regional GDP.

Fuel solutions

But solutions take time, and while we're still 5-7 years from seeing some of these fuel solutions become available for commercial use, the foundation is being laid today. Later this month, we will conduct the first biofuel demonstration flight to demonstrate their applicability to commercial aircraft.

Lastly, we must continue to push for improvements in the global air transportation system. Even the most advanced aircraft will fall short of environmental performance expectations if they are forced to operate in an antiquated system that results in holding patterns, missed flights and less than optimised route patterns.

We all are in this together and have a role to play. People want and expect to be able to move freely throughout the world, without the misguided guilt that unsubstantiated and inaccurate statistical reporting is placing upon them. Not until we effectively replace misinformation with real facts, data and technological solutions, will we be able to say that we've effectively solved a crucial element of the climate change puzzle. There's a tremendous difference between saying you're a leader and being a leader, which is best demonstrated by how we behave. As commercial aviation strives to do even better, you can rest assured that, at Boeing, we'll continue to do our part to be good environmental stewards in that process.

The writer is the managing director of environmental strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a business unit of The Boeing Company.


Industry has room to grow: MM Lee
Lynn Lee, Straits Times 18 Feb 08;

SINGAPORE'S aviation sector still has a long runway of growth and it will also be fuelled by the boom in air travel across Asia, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last night.

While the airline industry creates 8 per cent of the world's gross domestic product on average, it contributes only 5 per cent to Singapore's.

'So, we have a long way to go,' he said at a dialogue to launch the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit.

He was responding to Air Mauritius chairman Sanjay Bhuckory, who asked if aviation in Singapore had reached its saturation point.

Mr Lee does not think so. He said: 'The saturation point will come when the skies are so crowded that we can no longer have air traffic control making sure that every plane will land safely.

'And we're a long way from that because we've got the latest technology which will make sure that everybody takes off and lands with absolute safety.'

He pointed out that with Asia's rise, new airports were being built and more people were travelling. Singapore also had the advantage of being well- connected to both Asia and Europe.

Last year for instance, 36.7 million passengers passed through Changi Airport, an all-time high. The airport can handle 70 million passengers annually.

An employee of Singapore Airport Terminal Services then asked if a second civilian airport would spring up here.

Mr Lee said he did not want to speculate, but believed that the military airbase at Paya Lebar could be converted into a civilian airport if necessary.

He added that the country has good air traffic arrangements that can see it through the next 20 to 30 years.