Airbus' carbon removal initiative gets first North American airline sign up from Air Canada

Airbus announced a contract was signed with Air Canada for the aeroplane manufacturer's carbon-removal initiative. Air Canada is the first North American airline to sign up for The Airbus Carbon Capture Offer, which uses Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) technology to offer airlines worldwide carbon removal credits to advance their decarbonisation goals.

Airbus' partner 1PointFive will issue the carbon removal credits. Airbus' agreement with 1PointFive includes the pre-purchase of 400,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits to be delivered over four years. Air Canada's credits will last from 2026 to 2029.

DACCS technology filters and removes CO2 emissions directly from the air using high-powered extraction fans. Once removed from the air, the CO2 is stored in underground reservoirs. CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere during aircraft operations cannot be directly eliminated at the source, but with DACCS, an equivalent amount can be extracted from the air.

ZeroAvia Engines to Power Ecojet

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince’s newly launched airline to use hydrogen-electric propulsion technology pioneered in the Cotswolds.

This week ZeroAvia confirmed it has signed an agreement with newly launched airline Ecojet for up to 70 hydrogen-electric, zero-emission engines.  

Ecojet – which aims to become the flag carrier for green Britain – will begin operations in 2024 with conventionally powered aircraft operating routes to and from Edinburgh, before converting its fleet to become what it aims to be the world’s first electric airline. The airline will achieve its goal by retrofitting its aircraft with ZeroAvia’s ZA600 engines once certified. Ecojet will be working with MONTE, ZeroAvia’s preferred ZA600 lessor partner, in bringing this groundbreaking technology to market. ZeroAvia is targeting type certification of the ZA600 engine in 2025.  

The newly launched airline has also placed a larger order for the more powerful ZA2000 engine, designed for up to 80 seat regional turboprops and with an entry-in-service target of 2027. This will open up the potential to fly aircraft such as the ATR72 and Dash 8 400, already popular on regional routes across the world.  

ZeroAvia, Ecojet and MONTE will work together with airports and other industry partners, to identify and finance the first pathways to hydrogen-electric commercial operations. ZeroAvia analysis shows that, if powered by UK wind-generated green hydrogen, domestic flights would have lower lifecycle carbon emissions per passenger than any other common mode of transport today, including fully occupied cars, domestic rail and coach travel.

Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO, ZeroAvia said:  “Clean aviation will mean increased regional air travel and new routes, Ecojet can capitalize based on their clear focus on low-emission travel. The UK Government’s Jet Zero Strategy has set a great example for the world to follow, but the UK can go much further by being early to act and introducing some of the first zero-emission routes in the world.”

Dale Vince, Founder, EcoJet, said:  “We don’t have to give up flying to live a green lifestyle or to get to net zero as a country – and this is big news.  The technology is here now and the planes are coming very soon – carbon free, guilt free flying is just around the corner.  And although aviation is responsible for only a small part of all global emissions, it occupies a far bigger space than that in our psyche.  The hearts and minds value of this new opportunity outweighs the carbon issue significantly. It shows that everything we need to do, can be done, with a low to zero carbon footprint. And that is big news and a big encouragement to us all.”

/

In June, ZeroAvia announced that it had signed a definitive purchase agreement with lessor MONTE for 100 engines. MONTE will provide financing for Ecojet’s powertrain purchase, installation and operation, meaning that Ecojet will become the lessors first confirmed customer, and recipient of their currently reserved production slots with ZeroAvia.

Rishi Majithia, Head of Investment, MONTE said:  “Since signing our definitive purchase agreement with ZeroAvia, we have been working closely with ZeroAvia and our global network of aircraft operators to reach tri-party agreements on the use of the ZA600 powertrain. Ecojet’s commitment to using the ZA600 whilst being financed by MONTE is one of the first of these partnerships and we are excited to be working with an operator that is aligned with our goals of decarbonizing regional aviation.”

ZeroAvia recently completed a program of 10 test flights of a prototype of its ZA600 for the Dornier 228 aircraft at its UK base in Kemble, Gloucestershire. In May, the company unveiled its testbed aircraft for testing the ZA2000 engine, a Dash 8 400 76-seat plane provided by Alaska Airlines, as well as announcing rapid progress in developing the core technologies for flying these larger aircraft. 

Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only emission is water.

 ..

United to buy 1 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel ......

Cemvita Corporation announced an offtake arrangement with United Airlines for up to 1 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Cemvita’s first full-scale SAF plant. Under the agreement, signed by Cemvita and United Airlines, Cemvita will supply United Airlines up to 50 million gallons annually for 20 years of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from CO2.

“Since our initial investment last year, Cemvita has made outstanding progress, including opening their new pilot plant – an important step towards producing sustainable aviation fuel,” said United Airlines Ventures President Michael Leskinen. “United is the global aviation leader in SAF production investment, but we face a real shortage of available fuel and producers. Cemvita’s technology represents a path forward for a potentially significant supply of SAF and it’s our hope that this offtake agreement for up to one billion gallons is just the beginning of our collaboration.”

Game Changing Technologies: Commercialized SAF is currently made from used cooking oil and agricultural waste. Cemvita's technology has the potential to provide more reliable feedstock production with minimal land, water, and electricity needs. Furthermore, the output of eCO2 plants has the potential to be carbon-negative and Cemvita is aiming to be cost competitive with existing crop based HEFA feedstocks and fuels, which is a crucial factor for the successful adoption of any new biomanufacturing process.

WestJet endorses widescale Canadian production of sustainable aviation fuel

Chief Executive Officer, Alexis von Hoensbroech attends 24th World Petroleum Congress and addresses opportunity for a collective effort to achieve aviation industry's net-zero target of 2050

WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer, Alexis von Hoensbroech, this week at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, addressed the airline's ambitions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and the vital role sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plays in the future of decarbonizing aviation. With no current technological alternative for large commercial aircraft propulsion, airline reliance on sustainable jet fuel will be foundational to the decarbonization of the aviation industry. With its abundant space to grow feedstock, a large oil and gas industry and robust federal sustainability goals, Canada holds the necessities to facilitate the large-scale production of SAF.

"Air travel is essential to Canadians and critical to the nation's economy; with the right regulatory environment and collaborative efforts of producers and airlines, Canada has an enormous opportunity to further its global leadership in energy sustainability through SAF production," said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer. "The time is now for a regulatory framework to create a competitive investment climate for sustainable aviation fuel production, right here in Canada, that keeps air travel affordable and accessible."

No Stone Unturned in Quest for Net Zero

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reemphasized that every drop of fuel avoided counts in the aviation industry’s quest to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 with the latest result from the IATA Fuel Efficiency Gap Analysis (FEGA). 

LOT Polish Airlines (LOT) is one of the airlines to undertake the FEGA, which identified the potential to shave its annual fuel consumption by several percent. That equates to an annual reduction by tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from LOT’s operations.

“Every drop counts. Since its inception in 2005, FEGA has helped airlines identify cumulative savings of 15.2 million tonnes of carbon by cutting fuel consumption by 4.76 million tonnes. LOT is the latest example of an airline exploring all opportunities to achieve every incremental efficiency possible in fuel consumption. That’s good for the environment and for the bottom line,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.

On average, FEGA has identified fuel savings of 4.4% per airline audited. If fully realized across all audited airlines, these savings, which stem primarily from flight operations and dispatch, equate to removing 3.4 million fuel-powered cars from the road. 

The FEGA team analyzed LOT’s operations against industry benchmarks in flight dispatch, ground operations, and flight operations to identify fuel savings potential. The most significant ones were identified in flight planning, emission reduction through implementation of aviation procedures and refueling operations.

Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and NEOM co-lead ZeroAvia’s latest financing round

 ZeroAvia has announced that Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and NEOM have co-led the company’s latest financing round. 

 

Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Alaska Airlines, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, AP Ventures and Amazon Climate Pledge Fund have also participated in the investment.

 

This investment will enable ZeroAvia to accelerate progress towards certification of its first engine as well as delivering the company’s mission of a hydrogen-electric engine in every aircraft.

 

In conjunction with the investment, Airbus and ZeroAvia have agreed to collaborate on certification approaches for hydrogen power systems. The companies also intend to work together on a number of critical technical areas, including liquid hydrogen fuel storage, flight and ground testing of fuel cell propulsion systems, and development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and operations.

 

ZeroAvia is pursuing hydrogen-electric propulsion systems as the most environmentally friendly and economically attractive solution to aviation’s growing climate change impact. The company’s hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers, with the only byproduct during flight being water.

 

Airbus partners with DG Fuels to foster sustainable aviation fuel production in the United States

This partnership will support the scaling of a promising technology to produce sustainable aviation fuels from cellulosic waste and residues.

Airbus has become a strategic partner with DG Fuels, LLC (“DGF”), an emerging leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

"Sustainable aviation fuels play a crucial role in enabling aviation's decarbonisation roadmap. We are committed to supporting all efforts that contribute to making them available at scale around the globe," said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. "The partnership with DG Fuels supports the emergence of a new technological pathway allowing for the production of SAFs from a broader range of waste and residue sources, first in the U.S with a potential for large-scale production worldwide."

DGF’s fuel production system is based entirely on cellulosic waste products, such as wood waste from the logging industry, and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

DGF’s plant aims to have an initial production capacity of 120 million US gallons (454 million litres) of SAF per year on average, which could save approximately 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually from 2026.

"The DGF team is excited to have finalised this SAF partnership with Airbus," commented Michael Darcy, Chairman and CEO at DG Fuels, "and we look forward to working together to accelerate the initial SAF facility in Louisiana and the subsequent scale up at various locations in the United States and beyond.”

The partnership with Airbus supports DG Fuels’ goal of launching the equity process and reaching a final investment decision (FID) on building DG Fuels’ first SAF plant in the United States. The decision would be expected by early 2024. In this context, Airbus and DGF have agreed for a portion of the production of the first plant to benefit Airbus’ customers.

Joby subsidiary H2FLY completes World’s first piloted flight of liquid hydrogen powered electric aircraft

H2FLY, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Joby Aviation has announced the successful completion of the world’s first piloted flight of a liquid hydrogen-powered electric aircraft.

H2FLY, acquired by Joby in 2021, continues to lead the industry on the development and testing of hydrogen aviation propulsion systems. The company completed a series of piloted flights with its HY4 demonstrator aircraft, including one that lasted more than three hours, fitted with a hydrogen-electric fuel cell propulsion system and liquid hydrogen that powered it for the entire flight.

The flights demonstrate the viability of using cryogenically-stored liquid hydrogen instead of gaseous hydrogen, which enables significantly lower tank weights and volume, leading to longer range. The successful installation and demonstration of flight with liquid hydrogen is believed to increase the range of H2FLY’s HY4 demonstrator aircraft from 466 mi (750 km) to 932 mi (1500 km), marking a critical step towards the long-term decarbonization of mid- to long-range aviation.

UK hydrogen alliance established to accelerate zero carbon aviation and bring an £34bn* annual benefit to the country.

A group of leading companies in the UK aviation and renewable energy sectors including easyJet, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Ørsted, GKN Aerospace and Bristol Airport, have today established the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance to accelerate the delivery of zero carbon aviation. HIA will work to ensure the UK capitalises on the huge opportunity hydrogen presents to both the aviation industry and the country as a whole.

While there are various options for decarbonising the aviation sector, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), synthetic fuels or batteries, HIA believes that more attention should be paid to the potential of the direct use of hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a very promising alternative-fuel option for short-haul aviation. Airbus is developing new hydrogen-powered aircraft with the aim of entering commercial service from 2035 and Rolls-Royce has already proven that hydrogen could power a jet engine following successful ground tests in 2022. Furthermore, many smaller operators are making rapid progress on hydrogen-powered aircraft, notably ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen who have already carried out flight tests.

The group will be drawing on their considerable expertise to propose a clear and deliverable pathway to achieving hydrogen-powered aviation. HIA will work constructively with Government, local authorities, and the aviation and hydrogen sectors to enable the UK to fulfil its potential as a global leader in this critical application of hydrogen technology. This will include setting out the pathway for scaling up the infrastructure and the policy, regulatory and safety frameworks needed so that large-scale commercial aviation can become a reality. 

The alliance will set out that Government needs to be focused on three key areas which are; supporting the delivery of the infrastructure needed for the UK to be a global leader; ensuring the aviation regulatory regime is hydrogen ready; and transforming the funding for hydrogen aviation R&D support into a 10 year programme, if the UK is to see the economic benefits and meet decarbonisation targets.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet and first Chair of HIA, said:   “There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a £34bn per annum boost to the country’s economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now.

We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard to abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximise the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved. 

HIA looks forward to working with the UK Government to ensure the right funding, regulatory and policy changes are implemented to accelerate the delivery of zero carbon aviation.”

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce, said:  “Collaboration is key when it comes to achieving our net zero ambitions as an industry, which is why we are proud to be part of the Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance. Our contribution to HIA is the capability and experience we have in pioneering new technologies and solutions - we have already tested a modern aero engine on green hydrogen and we strongly believe it is one of the solutions that will help decarbonise aviation in the mid to long-term.”

Sabine Klauke, Chief Technology Officer at Airbus said:   “As Airbus continues to mature the aircraft technologies needed to deliver hydrogen-powered flight, a united industry voice is needed to secure a robust ecosystem of renewably-sourced hydrogen. Joining our peers from across the UK aviation landscape in a targeted approach to policy and investment action brings us closer to a decarbonised future of flying." 

Olivia Breese, Senior Vice President and Head of Power-to-X for Ørsted, commented:  “Ørsted is fully committed to renewable hydrogen as a key solution to defossilise hard-to-electrify sectors such as aviation. Our long experience in developing and deploying new technologies has taught us that collaboration across policy makers, developers, customers and supply chain - and considerable investment from each of them – is critical to bring down costs and drive a new sector to scale. Alliances such as the HIA are essential to bring together different actors across the value chain to support and accelerate the role hydrogen can, and must, play in the UK.”

Hydrogen is key to UK industry, jobs and net zero ambitions:

First embodied carbon estimate tool for airport terminals developed by IATA and Atkins

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), working with Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group has created a suite of innovative digital tools for airports to estimate the embodied carbon associated with the construction of terminal buildings and aviation assets – for the first time.

The digital toolkit will enable airports to better understand and mitigate the impacts of construction-related activities that contribute to carbon.

As the global aviation industry continues its post-pandemic growth, modernizing and adapting infrastructure to meet Net Zero targets and the needs of sustainable aviation, the need to reduce embodied carbon in new buildings such as terminals and runways is ever more pressing. 

The digital tools will deliver embodied carbon benchmarking for the three key airport asset types of terminal buildings, runways and multi-storey car parks. This will enable airport development teams to understand the carbon footprint of development work and enter into dialogue with airport operators about how to mitigate it.

The new tools, developed by IATA and Atkins are believed to be the first early stage embodied carbon assessment tools specifically focussed on airport terminal buildings.

While most current tools measure carbon in general buildings, and at a later stage in the design, this new digital toolkit is specific to Aviation and to be applied at very early stage in the design – adding the most value.

American Airlines releases 2022 Sustainability Report

American Airlines issued its 2022 Sustainability Report today, providing updates on the company's strategy and progress on key issues over the year. The report affirms American's focus on the sustainability issues most important to its business and stakeholders, including climate change, customer and team member safety, human capital and customer service.

“Over the past year, American has worked tirelessly to fly more and bring people together again,” American's CEO Robert Isom said. “I'm deeply proud of our team for building back our airline, developing a pipeline of new and diverse talent and advancing our climate goals — all while remaining steadfastly committed to our why: caring for people on life's journey.”

American's strategy for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is focused on running a more fuel-efficient operation, with more fuel-efficient aircraft increasingly powered by low-carbon fuel. Over the past several years, American has undertaken the most extensive fleet renewal effort in the history of its industry — giving the airline the youngest mainline fleet among U.S. network carriers. In 2022, American took meaningful steps forward across its strategy — from adding new-generation aircraft to its fleet and finalizing its most significant sustainable aviation fuel offtake agreement to date to announcing investments in two companies focused on the development of low-carbon, hydrogen-powered aviation.

In 2022, American became the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that its intermediate 2035 GHG reduction targets comply with the criteria in the SBTi's first aviation pathway. The company's Sustainability Report also includes a detailed discussion of American's risks and opportunities related to climate change, as recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

United to triple Sustainable Aviation Fuel use in 2023.......

United Airlines is planning to use 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel in 2023 – about three times more than 2022 and 10 times more than in 2019

United also welcomes new corporate participants to its Eco-Skies Alliance program, who will contribute to the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel

United has purchased more SAF and expects to fly more miles using SAF this year than any airline

The U.S. mega-carrier, United Airlines has announced that it will begin using a blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on departing flights from San Francisco International Airport and is planning to use a SAF blend later this year at London Heathrow Airport, which could put the airline on track to use approximately 10 million gallons in 2023, nearly three times more than 2022 and close to 10 times more than 2019.

"It's remarkable to see that in just a few years United has exponentially increased its SAF use," said United Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Riley. "While 10 million gallons of SAF in 2023 represents a fraction of what we need, we have also made big investments in producers that are using everything from ethanol to algae, to CO2, to help increase our available future supply. We believe these investments, along with our continued collaboration with policymakers, cross-industry businesses, and other airlines will help us scale this brand-new industry to achieve comparable success to solar and wind."

To date, United has invested in the future production of over five billion gallons of SAF - more than any airline – and as a result of today's announcement, the carrier will fly more miles in 2023 than any airline. United has used SAF blends at Los Angeles International Airport since 2016 and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam since 2022 and continues to use SAF at those airports in 2023.

The SAF deliveries commenced at San Francisco Airport in April, with United receiving 1.5 million gallons of SAF for departing flights, the remainder of United's SAF supply will be used at Los Angeles International Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. London Heathrow Airport is expected to begin receiving deliveries of SAF later in 2023. Once the SAF is delivered to London Heathrow, it will mark the first time United would participate in London Heathrow's SAF incentive program.

Eco-Skies Alliance Round

Boeing is expanding its ecoDemonstrator flight-test programme

U.S. plane maker Boeing is expanding its ecoDemonstrator flight-test programme to further accelerate innovation for sustainability and safety. 

The company recently announced its 2023 plan to assess 19 technologies on the Boeing 777 ecoDemonstrator, while also adding "Explorer" aeroplanes that will focus tests on specific technologies.

The first ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 787-10 Dreamliner, will conduct flight tests in June from Seattle to Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok to demonstrate how coordinating navigation across global airspace jurisdictions can improve operational efficiency, which can reduce an aeroplane's fuel use and emissions by up to 10%. Utilizing today's onboard capabilities, Boeing and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in the U.S., Japan, Singapore and Thailand will collectively sequence the airplane's routes to achieve the optimal flight path across multiple regions, factoring in conditions such as weather, air traffic and airspace closures. The airplane will fly on the highest available blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at each location.

"To support our industry's goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Boeing is expanding our ecoDemonstrator programme with Explorer airplanes to test even more sustainability-focused technologies," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We continue to invest in innovation that reduces fuel use, emissions and noise on our products and to partner with governments and industry to make progress on sustainability during each phase of flight."

"The industry will need continued fleet renewal, efficiency gains, renewable energy carriers such as sustainable aviation fuel and advanced technology to meet the civil aviation industry's commitment to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050," said Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond. "Our initial Explorer testing in partnership with aviation stakeholders in four countries is a great example of how we can work together to optimize operational efficiency and reduce emissions."

In 2023, Boeing also will use its current flagship ecoDemonstrator airplane, a 777-200ER (Extended Range), to test 19 technologies including:

Sustainable wall panels in the cargo hold that are made of 40% recycled carbon fiber and 60% resin made from a bio-based feedstock

A fiber optic fuel quantity sensor compatible with 100% SAF

An Electronic Flight Bag application featuring Smart Airport Maps, a component of Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro, which reduces operational costs and supports safe taxi operations with the depiction of contextual airport data

For all flight tests, the airplane will fly on the highest available blend of SAF locally

Since its initial flights in 2012, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator programme has accelerated innovation by taking new technologies out of the lab and testing them in an operational environment. Including the 2023 plan, the programme will have tested about 250 technologies to help decarbonize aviation, improve operational efficiency and enhance safety and the passenger experience. Approximately a third of tested technologies have progressed onto Boeing's products and services.

.

More information about the 2023 ecoDemonstrator and previous ecoDemonstrator airplanes is available at boeing.com/ecoDemonstrator

Lufthansa Airbus A350 becomes climate research aircraft.....

In a globally unique project, the Lufthansa Group and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are currently converting the Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 "Erfurt" (registration D-AIXJ) into a flying research laboratory. Now, an essential project milestone could be reached: For the first time, experts from the Lufthansa Group have attached the measuring probe system developed especially for the project to the lower fuselage of the A350 and successfully tested it in flight. Lufthansa pilots completed a flight program coordinated with the certification authorities in the airspace over southern Germany. The measuring system now being tested on the aircraft is the most complex of its kind and, in addition to the air inlet function, has sensors for high-frequency and -precision measurement of pressure and temperature. From 2024, the Airbus will collect comprehensive climate data during regular passenger flights for the European research infrastructure IAGOS-CARIBIC.

From 2024, a Lufthansa A350 will collect climate data for the first time for the European research infrastructure IAGOS-CARIBIC

"We want to make flying more sustainable. That is why we have been supporting climate research for decades. The conversion of our Lufthansa Airbus A350 into a climate research aircraft is a globally unique project in which colleagues from a wide variety of areas at Lufthansa have been working together with partners in science for years. Our aim is to make a valuable contribution to climate research. The data that our aircraft will collect worldwide in the future will help to improve today's atmospheric and climate models and thus their informative value for the future climate on earth," says Jens Ritter, CEO Lufthansa Airlines.

Over the next few months, a measurement laboratory weighing around two tons and specially developed for the project will be set up. Some 20 measuring instruments will be installed in the laboratory, which will later be loaded into the cargo hold as a cargo container and connected to the measuring system on the outer fuselage of the aircraft. Next year, this high-tech laboratory will take off for the first time and collect climate data on selected flights in Lufthansa's worldwide scheduled operations. The laboratory continuously records more than 100 different trace gases, aerosol, and cloud parameters from the ground to the tropopause region at an altitude of nine to thirteen kilometers. What makes it special: Climate-relevant parameters can be recorded at this altitude with significantly higher accuracy and temporal resolution on board the aircraft than would be possible with satellite- or ground-based measurement systems.

United, Tallgrass, and Green Plains Form Joint Venture to Develop New Sustainable Aviation Fuel Technology Using Ethanol

 
        United Airlines, Tallgrass, and Green Plains Inc. have announced a new joint venture – Blue Blade Energy – to develop and then commercialize a novel Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock. If the technology is successful, Blue Blade is expected to proceed with the construction of a pilot facility in 2024, followed by a full-scale facility that could begin commercial operations by 2028. The offtake agreement could provide for enough SAF to fly more than 50,000 flights annually between United's hub airports in Chicago and Denver.*

Blue Blade's new SAF technology was developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a leading centre for technological innovation in sustainable energy. SAF, which uses non-petroleum feedstock, is a low-carbon alternative to traditional jet fuel that offers up to 85%** lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

United, Tallgrass, and Green Plains will invest up to a combined $50 million in the joint venture – Blue Blade Energy – to develop the technology

United has entered into an offtake agreement with Blue Blade Energy for up to 135 million gallons of ethanol based SAF annually and up to 2.7 billion gallons in total

United has invested in more SAF production than any other airline

"The production and use of SAF is the most effective and scalable tool the airline industry has to reduce carbon emissions and United continues to lead the way," said United Airlines Ventures President Michael Leskinen. "This new joint venture includes two expert collaborators that have the experience to construct and operate large-scale infrastructure, as well as the feedstock supply necessary for success. Once operational, Blue Blade Energy has the potential to create United's largest source of SAF providing up to 135 million gallons of fuel annually."

United, Tallgrass, and Green Plains will each provide their unique industry expertise to help develop the joint venture. Under this collaborative approach:

Tallgrass will manage research and development of the technology, including pilot plant development, and will manage the construction of the production facility.

Green Plains will supply the low-carbon ethanol feedstock, and use its ethanol industry expertise to manage operations once the pilot facility is constructed.

United Airlines will assist with SAF development, fuel certification and into-wing logistics, and has also agreed to purchase up to 2.7 billion gallons of SAF produced from the joint venture.

.

"At Tallgrass, we are striving to innovate how we deliver the energy that powers our nation and enables our quality of life," said Alison Nelson, Vice President, Business Development at Tallgrass. "Air travel uniquely connects people and improves lives, and the advancement of this novel SAF technology presents a meaningful opportunity to reduce emissions from aviation.  We are excited to partner with industry leaders United Airlines and Green Plains on this initiative."

Airbus Commercial Selects Altair SimSolid in ZEROe Sustainable Aircraft Initiative

Altair), a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), announced that Airbus Commercial has selected Altair SimSolid – the game-changing simulation technology that performs structural analyses on fully featured CAD assemblies within minutes – in its ZEROe global initiative, which aims to create the world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft.

Altair SimSolid will streamline Airbus teams in their development of the world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft

"Altair SimSolid is the premier simulation technology for engineers, designers, analysts, and manufacturers. It eliminates geometry preparation and meshing, which are the two most time-consuming, expertise-extensive, and error-prone tasks in conventional structural simulations," said Sam Mahalingam, chief technology officer, Altair. "Airbus choosing Altair SimSolid further solidifies Altair as a leader in worldwide sustainability initiatives and continues the two companies' long and fruitful history of successful collaboration."

Altair SimSolid will save Airbus' design and engineering teams time, money, and hassle. Altair SimSolid was selected because it has shown that it will reduce elementary part analysis delivery times from days to minutes, and cuts complex assembly delivery times from several months to less than one week in some cases. Additionally, Altair SimSolid's intuitive, easy-to-implement operations and interface lets users work without needing to clean geometry or prepare models beforehand. Altair SimSolid also allows Airbus's design and engineering teams to explore more design iterations in shorter timeframes, which will expedite project timelines and deliver sustainable innovations quicker.

"By using Altair SimSolid, our teams can explore more design possibilities in a simple, easy-to-implement environment," said Christophe Brand, head of airframe methods and tools, Airbus Commercial. "By not requiring our teams to clean geometries beforehand, Altair SimSolid helps us significantly reduce delivery times and build better products. With it, we look forward to building the future of zero-emission aircraft technology."

The ZEROe project aims to create the world's first hydrogen propulsion-powered commercial airline fleet and enables Airbus to explore a variety of configurations and hydrogen technologies that will shape the development of future zero-emission aircraft. Airbus is working towards a mature technology readiness level for a hydrogen-combustion propulsion system by 2025.

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi Bestows Honorary Green Industries Eco-Label Upon Etihad Airways

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has granted Etihad Airways an honorary Green Industries Environmental Label for outstanding environmental performance. The organisation was recognised for finding innovative pollution control solutions and applying best environmental practices, which led to an increase in environmental compliance levels across the airline.

 

The Agency awarded the label during a ceremony held on the sideline of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week attended by Engineer Faisal Ali Al Hammadi, Acting Executive Director of Environment Quality Sector at EAD and Mariam Al Qubaisi Head of Sustainability and Business Excellence from Etihad Airways. 

The Green Industries innovative programme, which was launched in June 2022, is customised based on best international practices in the field of eco-labelling while factoring in the nature of Abu Dhabi’s industrial sector. The programme aims to build joint partnerships and to acknowledge the contributions of industrial facilities in the field of environmental protection.

ZeroAvia Makes Aviation History, Flying World's Largest Aircraft Powered with a Hydrogen-Electric Engine

Zero-emission flight took a giant step forward today with ZeroAvia flying the largest aircraft in the world to be powered by a hydrogen-electric engine. The leader in zero-emission aviation took to the skies for the maiden flight of its 19-seat Dornier 228 testbed aircraft, retrofitted with a full-size prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain on the left wing of the aircraft.

The flight took place from the company's R&D facility at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, UK, and lasted 10 minutes. At 13.35 pm GMT this afternoon the aircraft completed taxi, take-off, a full pattern circuit, and landing. The landmark flight forms part of the HyFlyer II project, a major R&D programme backed by the UK Government's flagship ATI Programme, which targets development of a 600kW powertrain to support 9-19 seat aircraft worldwide with zero-emission flight. 

The twin-engine aircraft was retrofitted to incorporate ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric engine on its left wing, which then operated alongside a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right. In this testing configuration, the hydrogen-electric powertrain comprises two fuel cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs providing peak power support during take-off and adding additional redundancy for safe testing. In this testbed configuration, hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems were housed inside the cabin. In a commercial configuration, external storage would be used and the seats restored.

All systems performed as expected. This is the largest ZeroAvia engine tested to date, and places the company on the direct path to a certifiable configuration to be finalized and submitted for certification in 2023, with this programme also serving as key to unlocking speedy technology development for larger aircraft. ZeroAvia's 2-5 MW powertrain programme, already underway, will scale the clean engine technology for up to 90-seat aircraft, with further expansion into narrowbody aircraft demonstrators over the next decade.

Of note, this flight test campaign is being conducted under a full Part 21 flight permit with the UK CAA, which is a much more stringent set of requirements compared to the E-Conditions framework ZeroAvia used for its 6-seat prototype test flights in the prior years. This signifies the maturity of the company's processes and design approaches and its readiness to proceed towards full commercial certification of its powerplants.

H3 Dynamics and Hylium Industries join forces to progress liquid hydrogen-electric flight capabilities

H3 Dynamics and Hylium Industries have joined forces to boost the performance of zero-emission hydrogen-electric flight, by combining the strengths of Hylium’s liquid hydrogen storage and liquification solutions, and H3 Dynamics’ distributed hydrogen-electric propulsion nacelles, ultra-light fuel cells, and new hydrogen drone refuelling stations.

Moving to liquid hydrogen represents a significant capability leap for small electric-powered unmanned systems. Cryogenic (liquid) hydrogen stores 3 times more energy as compressed gas in the same given volume. This means delivery drones will be able to fly further, mapping and ISR missions could be done on a much bigger scale.

To illustrate the jump in performance, the same 25kg hydrogen-electric propulsion UAV demonstrated by H3 Dynamics last July in France, will be able to fly over 900km with a single fill. With pressurized hydrogen, that range reduces to 400km, which is still 3 times more than a battery-powered equivalent.

“When combined, our global best-in-class solutions achieve the global performance limit for low-altitude electric-powered flight” says Taras Wankewycz, CEO H3 Dynamics. “We are proud to be working with Hylium to move hydrogen-electric flight propulsion to the next level”

Now all the various forms of hydrogen drones and UAVs powered by H3 Dynamics including hydrogen airships, multi-rotors, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), have a way to further boost flight durations by another factor of 3 over-pressurized hydrogen systems, or a factor of 10 compared to batteries.

H3 Dynamics also recently announced a first hydrogen production, and automated hydrogen refuelling mobile station for hydrogen UAV operations. Named H2FIELD the mobile station produces hydrogen from water and delivers compressed hydrogen gas tanks to the operator with little human intervention and no required hydrogen expertise. H3 Dynamics and Hylium’s partnership will upgrade the station so that it can fill liquid hydrogen tanks.

Developed in South Korea, Hylium’s breakthrough technology provides one of the most advanced solutions and has already been proven in a number of applications. South Korea is also leading the development for LH2 standardisation. One local proposal was accepted as a draft standard by a global ISO committee.

Hylium and H3 Dynamics technologies are currently being integrated to attempt a 3,300km crossing of the South Atlantic, in a program led by ISAE SUPAERO Toulouse, one of the world’s leading aerospace engineering schools. H3 Dynamics’ team developed a special fuselage design that can store a small LH2 tank and manage the thermal behaviour of all the propulsion sub-systems.

LH2 technology will also be a next step in H3 Dynamics’ hydrogen-electric propulsor nacelles roadmap. A first twin-engine cargo drone powered by these self-contained nacelles took off in the sky of Paris during the summer 2022, using 2 compressed hydrogen tanks – one in each nacelle. The goal now will be to switch them out for liquid hydrogen tanks with a lighter construction and a higher fuel capacity.

Investing in a greener future......

Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi, CEO, Gulf Air, believes that sustainability makes good business sense despite the higher costs.

How are you positioning the airline in the market?

Our strategy is not to compete on the ultra-long-haul flights that some of our neighbours are doing. Our strength is in the regional market. We have higher frequencies to the Gulf countries.

Of course, we do have the Boeing 787-9, which is capable of longer flights and Bahrain is positioned well to be a hub for east-west traffic, with a good airport. But we concentrate on connectivity and destinations that make sense for us and that serve Bahrain.

 

Are labour shortages affecting your airline?

Yes, they are having a significant effect, especially in Europe. They are affecting our on-time performance and they are creating issues in baggage handling. And it is not just a single flight to Europe affected. There are always connecting or return flights to consider, and this amplifies the problem.

Unfortunately, I don’t see the issue going away quickly. When you think of the time it takes to recruit and train people to have the skills and safety mindset that aviation requires, it is clear that the situation will remain for some time.

Going forward, there are a lot of factors involved in staffing requirements from new technologies to traffic growth, and it is impossible to predict what will happen.

 

Diversity is another aspect of this. What is the airline doing in this regard?

We support diversity and IATA’s 25by2025 initiative. But this is not about employing women just to make up the numbers.

If they want to be a pilot, they need to attain all the necessary skills and qualifications for the job. And throughout aviation, there is a need to reach the right levels of safety understanding. Very specific skill sets are required in most aviation jobs. But the point is that the jobs are open to everybody. There is inclusivity in the opportunity.

At Gulf Air, some 40% of our staff are female. At our headquarters, there are several departments headed by women. They are empowered.

But all we are really concerned about is safety, efficiency, and performance. Your gender, race, or religion are not relevant in that sense. Can you do the job? And if you are doing a good job, you will be promoted as a natural part of your career progression.

Again, though, that requires inclusivity in the opportunity. Women must have equal access to promotions. At Gulf Air, we provide that access.

 

Does investing in sustainability initiatives make business sense?

Sustainability and business sense go hand-in-hand. We all live in this world and the world is suffering. Carbon emissions are causing temperatures to rise. Ultimately, the extreme weather events this causes will be a problem for aviation and for all businesses. It is a problem that we have to solve.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is effective when it is available. We have used SAF in Rolls-Royce engines on our Dreamliner 787-9 and when we have done SAF flybys for the Formula 1 Grand Prix events. But availability is the problem. I am not aware of any production facility in the Middle East so when we have bought SAF, we have bought it from Europe. That’s not logistically viable on a regular basis.

And, of course, it is also extremely expensive. SAF is 3–4 times the price of Jet A-1. Who is going to pay for that? As a business, it is not possible to absorb that cost in a competitive market. But it hard to pass on to the passenger for the same reason. But somebody has to pay. We have to solve that challenge quickly to create the demand that will improve SAF supply.

Still, we are supportive of the Fly Net Zero by 2050 goal, and we will do everything we can to reduce emissions because in the years to come it is emitting carbon that will make you uncompetitive. Emitting carbon will be expensive, hurt your brand, and reduce your customer base.

Governments and airports can help. Unnecessary taxation and charges add to an airline’s cost base and prevent an airline from fully exploring all sustainable initiatives. We are paying mega-bucks for policies and services that aren’t what they should be.

Investing in a greener future | Airlines. (iata.org)