Channel NewsAsia 22 Feb 08;
SINGAPORE : The environmental concern is not confined to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on land; the aviation industry is also tackling the issue head on.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has set an ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emission by 50 percent by 2020.
New generation jets like the Airbus A380 may be huge, but they are also lean when it comes to fuel consumption. According to IATA, such newer planes are 70 percent more efficient than airplanes that flew four decades ago.
Emission from the aviation industry accounts for 2 percent of all global CO2 output. It is also contributing 12 percent of CO2 pollution from all transportation sources.
That is low compared to the 74 percent from road transportation, but aviation companies say they can go even greener.
"You have to do this 3 steps - have it in your mindset and have a focus on it. You have to provide aviation industry with the right products, and our right products would be burning less fuel than old generation products. (The third step is) you have to have a clean factory," said Orlando Neto, Managing Director (Asia Pacific), Embracer.
Some of these factories are making lighter aircraft with advanced composite materials.
The lighter the aircraft, the less power is needed. This means less fuel burnt and lower emissions.
Bombardier for example is working on new aircraft that use mostly lighter composite materials. They also have a wing that is made entirely from composites.
But some of these technological advances in fuel efficient engine designs and new ways of manufacturing planes may not come cheap.
So, will the cost of such R&D be passed on to the travelling public?
"Our objective is to offer more advanced technology in larger airplanes in order to allow the airliner to stay competitive, so we do not pass the R&D or cost down to the customers," said Trung Ngo, VP of Marketing and Communications, Bombardier.
Going green also makes economic sense. If the same trips are made using less fuel, the running costs will drop.
With uncertainty over crude oil prices, flying green may be a win-win solution for all.- AFP /ls
