easyJet reveals roadmap to achieve net-zero by 2050

Over 3/4 of Britians (76%) think that companies need to urgently set out how they will achieve net-zero

easyJet launches detailed plan to net-zero carbon emissions within next 30 years, with the ultimate ambition to be flying on zero carbon emission hydrogen planes

Six in 10 Brits are excited about the prospect of zero carbon emission aircraft with four in 10 confident of zero-emission planes in the next 15 years

82% believe zero carbon emission flying is the best approach to achieving net-zero in aviation

Photo easyJet

easyJet has launched the aviation world’s most ambitious plan to achieve net-zero carbon emission by 2050, in a new roadmap revealed by the airline today. 

The plan will see the airline reach net-zero through a series of elements, with the ultimate ambition to be flying on zero carbon emission hydrogen-powered aircraft. easyJet is already working with partners across the industry, including Airbus and Rolls-Royce on several dedicated projects to accelerate the development of zero carbon emission aircraft technology.

This is complemented by carbon removal technology to physically remove carbon from the atmosphere and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as an interim measure, as well as building on work the airline is already doing to make its everyday operations ever-more fuel efficient and advocating for airspace modernisation, to reduce the use of fuel by flying more direct routes.

The announcement comes as new research by the airline has revealed that over three-quarters of the public (76%) think that companies need to urgently set out how they will achieve net-zero this century and demonstrate how they are operating more sustainably.

JetBlue looks to Advance Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with AIR COMPANY

JetBlue signs intent to purchase 25 million gallons of AIR COMPANY’s innovative AIRMADE™ SAF over five years.

AIR COMPANY’s groundbreaking AIRMADE SAF opens incredible potential to grow the emerging market with carbon-negative fuel made from captured CO2.

JetBlue is to bolster its plans to transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with a new agreement with AIR COMPANY, an innovative carbon technology company creating carbon-negative alcohols and fuels from carbon dioxide (CO2). AIR COMPANY has developed and deployed a single-step process for CO2-derived fuel production using renewable electricity to create its novel AIRMADE™ sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) product. JetBlue’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AIR COMPANY comes on the heels of a direct capital investment into AIR COMPANY’s Series A funding round from JetBlue’s venture capital subsidiary, JetBlue Ventures.

With this commitment, JetBlue announces its intent to purchase 25 million gallons of AIRMADE™ SAF over five years, with a targeted start in 2027. AIR COMPANY joins JetBlue’s growing list of SAF partnerships as it advances its goal to convert 10 percent of its total fuel usage to SAF on a blended basis by 2030.

“SAF is one of the most promising avenues for addressing aviation emissions currently available. With creative thinking backed by science, AIR COMPANY’s work to leverage captured carbon, a resource distinct from other SAF feedstocks, represents the kind of innovation that can expand SAF availability and grow the market necessary to reach our industry goals.” said Sara Bogdan, director of sustainability and environmental social governance, JetBlue, “We’re excited to build upon this partnership established by JetBlue Ventures as we continue our own path to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.”

6 Steps The Aviation Industry Can Do To Reduce Its Environmental Footprint

6 Steps The Aviation Industry Can Do To Reduce Its Environmental Footprint

Joel & Jasmin Førestbird (@theforestbirds) | Unsplash Photo Community

Air travel is a modern necessity for society. Millions of people travel worldwide, and there are tens of millions of flights every year.  All of this travel means the aviation industry accounts for over 3% of all carbon emissions worldwide, and it’s growing every year. The aviation industry needs to start reducing its emissions.

Several programs have been suggested, with some plans budgeted in the billions.  Still, sustainability remains a difficult dream to achieve. There are several things the aviation industry can do to reach low-to-zero emissions in the next few decades. They certainly won’t be simple, but they need to be started now to take effect.

Promote Eco-Friendly Tourism

The aviation industry has a huge investment in tourism, for obvious reasons. Once planes have brought their passengers down to land, it’s important to show tourists eco-friendly places to visit. For example, instead of contributing to the local traffic, incentivize smaller areas. 

Collaborate with local events and be accountable for their sustainability. Airlines always have the power to provide more than just travel. Offsetting your carbon footprint indirectly is still a solid plan. Not to mention, corporate sustainability practices make travellers more likely to trust your airline.

Make Economy Class More Appealing

A lot of people often shift to business or first class because of the discomfort present in them. Economy class flights fit more people on a single flight, reducing carbon emissions by a significant amount.  Business and first-class are inherently inefficient spacing at the cost of comfort. Economy should be made more appealing to incentivize passengers to be eco-friendly.

Airlines can provide comfortable travel pillows as part of the seats. Speaking of the seats, they should be made with comfort in mind despite the tighter space. Make sure passengers have good circulation whilst sitting down. Offering higher quality food and snacks also helps. While the tight space is still a sacrifice, there’s no reason to gatekeep the other methods of comfort.

Offset Via Reforestation Projects

As discussed in Eco-Friendly Tourism, there are indirect ways to achieve sustainability. One of the more ambitious yet doable projects is reforestation. The forests and rivers of the world are huge tourist destinations. Unfortunately, deforestation and pollution have made them less and less appealing, and also means people choose to visit non-eco-friendly places instead.

Greener places might not directly mean greener flights, but it certainly helps balance the scales. Forests absorb billions of carbon dioxide every year and are an essential part of preserving the ozone layer. When passengers are booking, provide options for them to give contributions to reforestation projects.

Directional Aviation and Alder Fuels Join Forces for First Business Aviation Offtake Partner Agreement for SAF 2.0

Photo by Cari Kolipoki on Unsplash

Private aviation investment firm Directional Aviation is making a financial investment in Alder Fuels, a clean tech developer and greencrude producer. As part of the agreement, the two companies also will pilot a pioneering blockchain-powered transparency tool to document the production life cycle and industry adoption of low-carbon SAF. The state-of-the-art tool will assist with transparency around the production of SAF and provide robust documentation for compliance with regulatory programs, environment, social and governance (ESG) targets and carbon reduction milestones for the aviation sector.

Alder Fuels uses sustainable biomass, such as regenerative grasses, forest residues and agricultural waste products, to create a low-carbon to carbon-negative greencrude that can be converted into SAF using existing bio and petroleum refinery infrastructure. In contrast to first-generation SAF, which was generated primarily from non-scalable supplies of fats, oils and grease, these biomass sources are abundantly available, and, when repurposed, can contribute to soil regeneration and wildfire mitigation.

Directional Aviation is investing in clean tech developer Alder Fuels to back the commercial scale-up of second-generation sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Private jet travel leader Flexjet announces commitment to having 12 percent of its annual fuel consumption come from SAF by 2030

Flexjet will become the first business aviation operator utilizing SAF refined from Alder Greencrude (AGC) and also will pilot transparency tool with Alder Fuels & 4AIR

Aviation sustainability pioneer 4AIR will collaborate with Alder on the deployment of blockchain-powered transparency tools to track and trace the use of carbon emission-reducing SAF from supply chain to wingtip.

When calculating the fuel production carbon life cycle from field to wingtip across different biomass sources, AGC-derived SAF can achieve greenhouse gas reductions of over 80 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel. The process, which has been validated by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Laboratory (NREL), could even be carbon negative when utilizing regenerative crops. AGC-derived SAF will meet current aviation specifications and is currently in the process of global certification as a 100 percent drop-in replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel. As part of the agreement, Flexjet will become the first business aviation user of this SAF.

“Our investment in Alder Fuels and partnership on advancing the use of digital technology to document SAF use is an example of private aviation leading the way on sustainability commitments and identifying solutions to reduce carbon emissions that aid the entire aviation industry,” said Kenneth C. Ricci, Principal, Directional Aviation.

One step forward to a more sustainable military aviation......Airbus A400M first test flight with SAF

Photo Airbus

The A400M programme team with the Military Air Systems unit of the Defence and Space division has kicked off its test flight campaign with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) this summer. A first test flight using a load of 29% SAF in one of its engines proved successful; also in military aviation Airbus moves forward on its commitment to get cleaner skies.

A mixture of nerves and excitement was felt among the team members on the tarmac of Airbus´ San Pablo plant, in Seville, on an extremely hot day in July. Indeed, there was plenty to be excited about, as it was a day of `firsts´: the first test flight with SAF was finally happening with an Airbus A400M.

The MSN4 or ´Grizzly 4´, as it is known among the team, entered the runway with one of its engines, specifically engine number 2, with a blended load of 29% SAF. “For this first flight, we are using a type of SAF called HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) which is made of residuals of oils, vegetables and fats, and also free of aromatics and Sulphur, so it is very efficient and good for the engines”, explained Ana Belén Blanco, Technical Leader for SAF in A400M. “It is a drop-in fuel, so there is no need to modify the engines´ systems and there are no technical limitations”, she said. For this first test flight, the use of SAF was limited to one engine to better analyze the fuel system´s behavior feeding a single engine.

Photo Airbus

The flight, which took off from the San Pablo plant runway in Seville, headed towards the North of Huelva and then landed back safely in Seville, making a trip of more than an hour in total. The satisfaction of the crew was already evident on their faces while they disembarked the aircraft, ready to share the outcome. “During the flight, we performed a close comparison between engine number 2, the one using SAF, and the other 3 engines using standard fuel Jet A1, so we had a very good opportunity to compare the performance of the different fuels”, said César González, Flight Test Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space. “The results we got confirmed that using this blended SAF does not affect engines or aircraft performance, so the A400M can receive the whole potential of it in terms of environmental benefit”, González added.

SAF is a proven alternative fuel that can reduce life cycle CO2 emissions by up to 85% compared to conventional fuel. This first flight of an A400M using SAF demonstrated that both the aircraft and its TP400-D6 engines, not tested before with SAF, are aligned with these new fuel requirements with a blend of 50% certified SAF for a more sustainable military aviation.

Airbus and EuroProp International, which is responsible for TP400-D6 turboprop’s engine design, development, manufacturing and support, have agreed to establish the roadmap towards 100% SAF certification together, making this first flight a step forward towards this goal.

Fly to net zero.......sustainable aviation fuel.....

In North America, at the Summit of the Americas early June IATA, in cooperation with Boeing, hosted a roundtable on sustainable aviation with carriers from the region using 100,000 gallons of SAF departing from LAX.  The OneWorld Alliance members will purchase up to 200 million gallons of SAF per year from 2027. Shell, Accenture, and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) are jointly launching Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered digital SAF book-and-claim solutions for business travel. It’s the largest SAF book-and-claim pilot at launch, offering around 1 million gallons of SAF. United Airlines have become the first US airline to sign an agreement to purchase SAF out of Amsterdam’s Schipol airport. Hawaiian Airlines and Par Hawaii announced plans to join forces to study the commercial viability of locally-produced SAF. Southwest Airlines announced an investment into the SAFFiRE Renewables startup as part of a Department of Energy-backed project to develop and produce scalable SAF. On the producer side, Fulcrum BioEnergy announced the completion of commissioning and the initial operations of its Sierra BioFuels Plant, the world’s first landfill waste to renewable transportation fuels plant. Aemetis meanwhile signed an offtake agreement with Alaska Airlines to supply 13 million gallons of SAF over seven years. In what's described as a "seminal moment" in the ongoing development and distribution of SAF, in a partnership between SAF producer Neste, Colonial Pipeline, Buckeye Partners, and Delta, the biggest pipeline owners in the US will transport SAF to LaGuardia airport for the first time.  In Panama, A team of energy industry companies led by SGP BioEnergy joined the Government of the country to announce the development of the world’s largest biofuels production and distribution hub. In Asia Pacific, Singapore Airlines has started selling sustainable aviation fuel credits in July. Cebu Pacific and Malaysia Airlines both flew their first flights using SAF.  In Thailand, Bangchak have signed an MoU with Thanachok Oil Light to produce SAF locally. In Australia, The Qantas Group and Airbus will invest up to US$200 million to accelerate the establishment of a SAF industry in the country, in a landmark agreement.

How important is sustainability for Cathay Pacific?

Cathay Pacific commits to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  Photo Cathay Pacific

Azim Norazmi, Climate Change & SAF Manager, Cathay Pacific tells us how important sustainability is for Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific and what steps the carrier has already taken to reach as it reaches for massive reductions on emissions. Azim is a sustainability specialist with more than 9 years of combined working experience within the Aerospace and Aviation industry.

1. How important is sustainability for Cathay Pacific?

As an airline, we take our responsibility to protect the environment and work for sustainable development seriously. We are committed to a carbon-neutral future, and we are ramping up our efforts to fight climate change with strong sustainability practices, which guide our operations, and resourcing. We are also dedicated to serving our communities, both in Hong Kong and across the globe, and protecting the natural habitat from exploitation. 

2. What concrete steps has the company taken?

There are many examples of concrete steps taken by Cathay Pacific. In 2020, we were among the first airlines in Asia to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This has led to further commitments to using 10% SAF by 2030 and achieving a 55% of reduction from our absolute ground emissions from the 2018 baseline, by 2035. This aligns with the aims of the Paris Agreement. It’s a significant step on our sustainable development journey and coalesces our existing efforts in fuel efficiency, SAF, carbon offsetting and emissions reduction around a common goal.

Beyond making commitments, we have also implemented actions within our operations to help us achieve our sustainability goals. By using a digitised inflight manual, we’ve replaced as much as 75kg of paper on each flight, thus decreasing emissions by more than 4,000 tonnes CO2 emissions per year based - emissions equivalent to more than 5,000 flights from Hong Kong to London. In addition, we also continue to reduce SUP in our flight operations. We have pledged to remove 50% of our SUP consumption by the end of 2022 from a 2018 baseline. To date, we have removed about 43 million pieces of SUP items from our annual usage baseline. 

3. How do you see the role of SAF for Cathay Pacific going forward?

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

In North America, at the Summit of the Americas early June IATA, in cooperation with Boeing, hosted a roundtable on sustainable aviation with carriers from the region using 100,000 gallons of SAF departing from LAX.  The OneWorld Alliance members will purchase up to 200 million gallons of SAF per year from 2027. Shell, Accenture, and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) are jointly launching Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered digital SAF book-and-claim solutions for business travel. It’s the largest SAF book-and-claim pilot at launch, offering around 1 million gallons of SAF. United Airlines have become the first US airline to sign an agreement to purchase SAF out of Amsterdam’s Schipol airport. Hawaiian Airlines and Par Hawaii announced plans to join forces to study the commercial viability of locally-produced SAF. Southwest Airlines announced an investment into the SAFFiRE Renewables startup as part of a Department of Energy-backed project to develop and produce scalable SAF. On the producer side, Fulcrum BioEnergy announced the completion of commissioning and the initial operations of its Sierra BioFuels Plant, the world’s first landfill waste to renewable transportation fuels plant. Aemetis meanwhile signed an offtake agreement with Alaska Airlines to supply 13 million gallons of SAF over seven years. In what's described as a "seminal moment" in the ongoing development and distribution of SAF, in a partnership between SAF producer Neste, Colonial Pipeline, Buckeye Partners, and Delta, the biggest pipeline owners in the US will transport SAF to LaGuardia airport for the first time.  In Panama, A team of energy industry companies led by SGP BioEnergy joined the Government of the country to announce the development of the world’s largest biofuels production and distribution hub. In Asia Pacific, Singapore Airlines has started selling sustainable aviation fuel credits in July. Cebu Pacific and Malaysia Airlines both flew their first flights using SAF.  In Thailand, Bangchak have signed an MoU with Thanachok Oil Light to produce SAF locally. In Australia, The Qantas Group and Airbus will invest up to US$200 million to accelerate the establishment of a SAF industry in the country, in a landmark agreement.

SkyCell achieves goal of running solely on renewable energy in continued pursuit of net-zero emissions by 2040

SkyCell, the innovator and leading manufacturer of temperature-controlled hybrid containers for the pharmaceutical industry, has released its second annual Sustainability Report, detailing the progress made in achieving net-zero emissions within the entire supply chain and making pharma supply chains more sustainable. In 2021, the Swiss company successfully transitioned their operations to run solely on renewable electricity. 

The healthcare industry is a significant contributor of global CO2 emissions, emitting two gigatons of CO2 emissions annually, the equivalent of being the fifth-largest emitting country globally. For pharma companies, supply chains represent a sizable proportion of these emissions. Reducing Scope 3 emissions is considered the most challenging as they fall outside of the company’s direct operational control. In 2021, SkyCell’s overall Scope 3 emissions intensity decreased by 8%, which was achieved by optimizing shipment routes, minimizing empty transports, and shifting towards more sustainable modes of transport. 

Reducing the carbon intensity of its shipments has been a key pillar of the company’s emissions reduction plan. SkyCell has made notable strides thanks to the continued improvement of its container design, material use, and production process, which had already been found to reduce emissions by up to 50% compared to other pharma containers. SkyCell’s newest container, the 1500X, has achieved even greater weight and space efficiencies, weighing 379kg which is significantly less than the 630kg+ of active containers on the market today.

United Invests Another $15 Million in Electric Flying Taxi Market with Eve

United Airlines signs purchase agreement for up to 400 eVTOL aircraft from Eve aiming to revolutionize the commuter experience in cities around the world 

United announced this week a major $15 million investment in Eve Air Mobility and a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft plus 200 options, expecting the first deliveries as early as 2026. This marks another significant investment from United in flying taxis – or eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles) – that have the potential to revolutionize the commuter experience in cities around the world. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies intend to work on future projects, including studies on the development, use and application of Eve's aircraft and the urban air mobility (UAM)

"United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain, staking out our position as a leader in aviation sustainability and innovation," said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures. "Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies. Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – without using traditional offsets. Together, we believe our suite of clean energy technologies will revolutionize air travel as we know it and serve as the catalyst for the aviation industry to move toward a sustainable future."

"United's investment in Eve reinforces the trust in our products and services and strengthens our position in the North American market," said Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve. "I am confident that our UAM agnostic solutions, coupled with the global know-how we have been developing at Eve and Embraer's heritage, are the best fit for this initiative, giving United's customers a quick, economical and sustainable way to get to its hub airports and commute in dense urban environments. It is an unparalleled opportunity to work with United to advance the US UAM ecosystem, and we look forward to it."

Airbus gathers European airlines into direct air carbon capture fold

Yocova, an end-to-end platform for innovation in aviation, reveals the breaking news about direct air carbon capture from FIA.

Airbus and a partnership of airlines and airline groups comprising more than a dozen worldwide carriers are working together on a new carbon capture project, with the aim to provide secure, verifiable carbon removal credits as part of aviation's need to offset part of its future emissions.

The partnership spans Air Canada, Air France-KLM, easyJet, International Airlines Group (the parent of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling), LATAM Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group (including Swiss, Austrian, Brussels and the Eurowings brands) and Virgin Atlantic.

The methodology from Carbon Engineering involves direct air carbon capture and storage, or DACCS. At a basic level, high-powered fans suck air in, process it, then compress it into liquid and store it in underground geologic reservoirs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7pTfCxNW4

The agreement is at this point an early stage partnership, based on letters of intent, and the airlines have "committed to engage in negotiations on the possible pre-purchase of verified and durable carbon removal credits starting in 2025 through to 2028".

IAG Cargo trials first electric terminal tractor at London Heathrow airport

Photo IAG Cargo

 IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG) has begun to trial the first electric terminal tractor, known as a Terberg YT203EV, at London Heathrow airport. This is the first electric Terberg operating airside worldwide.

By replacing an existing terminal tractor with an electric Terberg, approximately 30 tonnes of CO2 will be saved per vehicle per year – this is the equivalent of planting over 1 million trees or taking more than 6,000 cars off the road.1

Terberg has been creating electric vehicles since 2014 with the team constantly revising the designs. The latest vehicles can deliver the same capability as the current diesel units in a more environmentally sustainable way, allowing drivers to carry out their work pattern whilst avoiding diesel engine emissions. In addition to its electric solution, Terberg are also exploring the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, having placed a unit in to test on an off-airfield application. This additional environmentally friendly solution will afford Terberg customers such as IAG Cargo further options to achieve their environmental goals.

IAG Cargo is trialling the electric Terberg YT203EV for 12 months, with the ambition to transition its current diesel fleet to more sustainable alternatives, including electric. In the coming years the trial will help IAG Cargo and its partners understand the challenges the business may face when adopting an electric airside fleet, how future electric vehicles could be charged and what additional infrastructure will be needed to support a fleet of electric terminal tractors.

David Rose, Chief Transformation Officer at IAG Cargo commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Terberg to trial the first electric Terberg at London Heathrow - this is an exciting advancement for IAG Cargo as we strive to lead on sustainability and be fit for future.

“We are continuously looking at ways that reduce our impact on the environment whilst improving our customer offering. This trial is part of a wider effort supporting our commitment to making IAG Cargo, and the wider industry, more sustainable. “

Alisdair Couper, Manager Director at Terberg added: “This is another step towards reducing air cargo’s impact on the environment and so we’re thrilled to work with IAG Cargo to see the first electric Terberg already in action at London Heathrow airport.”

Photo IAG Cargo

The electric terminal tractor known as a Terberg YT203EV, carries unit loading devices (ULDs) that tows goods for air transportation

 

IAG Cargo is trialling this innovative electric Terberg YT203EV for 12 months with the ambition to replace all current terminal tractors in the near future

 

This is the first electric Terberg YT203EV operating airside worldwide

Aviation industry could cut climate impact by 20% in five years

Photo by Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa on Unsplash

The findings of a new paper could provide impetus for the aviation industry to drastically reduce its climate impact with only minimal changes to aircraft equipment and infrastructure.

The University of Bristol paper, published in the journal Aerospace, suggests modification to air traffic control procedures and aircraft operations could reduce the climate impact of aviation by as much as 20 per cent in the next five to 10 years.

Lead author Kieran Tait, who completed the review of the latest aviation emissions science, said: “Aircraft non-CO2 emissions are responsible for over two-thirds of aviation’s net climate impact, yet due to the focus on decarbonisation in policymaking - which is essential to meet net zero targets - mitigation of these emissions is often overlooked.

“Flight route modifications in the form of climate optimal routing, to avoid climate-sensitive regions, and formation flight, in which two aircrafts fly one behind the other (separated by ~2km) could hold the key to drastically reducing aviation's climate impact.”

There are two main contributors to aviation's non-CO2 climate impact – aircraft condensation trails (contrails) and emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The warming effect of non-CO2 emissions strongly depends on the chemical and meteorological state of the atmosphere at the instant they are released.

Contrails account for 51 per cent of aviation’s total climate impact. Where the air is very cold and humid, the water vapour in the contrails condenses around particulates to form ice crystals which trap heat and have a net-warming effect. Similarly, emissions of NOx react with chemicals in the atmosphere to generate ozone and reduce methane. However, the generation of ozone tends to outweigh the methane reduction, leading to a net warming effect.

“While climate optimal routing may require a longer flight, and therefore an additional one to two percent fuel burn, avoiding climate-sensitive areas could actually reduce the overall climate impact of a flight by around 20 per cent.

Delta and DG Fuels partner in the expansion of sustainable fuel

DG Fuels will provide Delta with 385 million gallons of a new low-emissions sustainable aviation fuel, a vital resource needed for aviation to reach its sustainability goals.  

The production of DG Fuels SAF is up to 85% lower in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions versus conventional jet fuel.

The agreement will help accelerate SAF production, which remains nascent – current existing supply would only operate a fleet Delta’s size for a single day.

SAF provided under the partnership advances Delta toward its recently validated science-based carbon emissions reduction target approved by Science Based Targets initiative.

Delta and DG Fuels, LLC are taking an important step together to expand the availability of sustainable fuel, with a new low-emissions SAF, which is critical to achieving a more sustainable future for aviation. 

Under a new agreement, the low-emissions fuel company plans to establish a new SAF supply stream that could provide Delta with 385 million gallons of unblended sustainable aviation fuel, while helping to expand the availability of SAF in the underserved marketplace.

“Achieving a sustainable future for travel will require us all to work together across industries and encourage innovations like DG Fuel’s new low-emissions SAF option,” said Pam Fletcher, Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “SAF is essential to our industry’s more sustainable future, and new supply chain streams will help ensure sustainable fuel becomes more available and affordable.”

Anticipated to begin delivery by the end of 2027, DG Fuels is planning to deliver 55 million gallons of SAF annually for seven years. The SAF will likely use timber waste, corn stover and cotton gin waste as feedstock and is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by between 75%-85% compared to conventional jet fuel, which aligns with Delta’s goal as a founding member of the First Movers Coalition.

Vertical Aerospace Announces First Half-Year 2022 Results

Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero-emission aviation, announces its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The Company has also issued a shareholder letter discussing its operating results and management commentary, which is posted to its investor relations website at investor.vertical-aerospace.com.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical Founder and CEO, said: “I am delighted to share that we have reached a critical engineering milestone by completing the build of our full-scale VX4 prototype, and we have now begun putting it through its paces for an intensive, multi-month flight test programme. I am grateful for the efforts of our amazing team, and for our outstanding partners that have got us to this point as we continue to leverage their deep sector expertise to build, fly and industrialise our aircraft to revolutionise the way we travel.

In the last quarter, we have expanded our pre-order book to more than 1,400 and announced new VX4 applications in emergency medical services, cargo and business aviation, with Babcock and FLYINGGROUP. We have also secured an industry first with American Airlines' commitment to place a pre-delivery payment for the delivery slots of their first 50 VX4s, out of a possible 350. The outlook for eVTOLs and Vertical has never looked better, and we look forward to providing our shareholders with more news on our piloted flight."

American Airlines announces investment in hydrogen-electric engine developer ZeroAvia

American Airlines announced this week, its investment in ZeroAvia, a leader in hydrogen-electric, zero-emission aviation. In addition to the investment, a memorandum of understanding provides American the opportunity to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development program. The engines are intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero emissions.

“Our investment in ZeroAvia’s emerging hydrogen-electric engine technology has the potential to play a key role in the future of sustainable aviation,” said Derek Kerr, American’s Chief Financial Officer. “We are excited to contribute to this industry development and look forward to exploring how these engines can support the future of our airline as we build American Airlines to thrive forever.”

ZeroAvia is working to achieve certain type certifications of its innovative propulsion technology that will pave the way for the engines to be incorporated into the regional jet market in the future. The ZA2000-RJ powertrain is anticipated to enable passengers to fly in zero-emission regional jets as early as the late 2020s.

Brussels Airlines introduces a Green Fare for passengers flying from Denmark, Sweden and Norway

New fare including full offsetting of CO2 emissions introduced for passengers flying from Denmark, Sweden and Norway as pilot project.

Brussels Airlines introduces a Green Fare for passengers flying from Denmark, Sweden and Norway from August, which includes full offsetting of CO2 emissions using sustainable fuel and investment in climate protection projects. The offer comes now that the willingness for passengers to neutralize their flight has risen significantly. Since the options for CO2-neutral flying were integrated into the booking process on brusselsairlines.com, usage among customers has increased sixfold.

Brussels Airlines, together with the other airlines of the Lufthansa Group, introduce a new Green Fare for its guests booking from Denmark, Sweden and Norway on a trial basis from August 2, 2022. As a contribution to a sustainable way of flying, the Green Fare includes a full offset of the flight's CO2 emissions in the price of the flight. This is achieved by a combination of 20 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and 80 percent through investments in long-term climate protection projects. As an incentive, the Green fare also includes additional status miles and free rebooking options.

The Green Fare is now displayed alongside the familiar fares (Light, Classic, Flex) as an additional fare option in the online booking screen directly after the flight selection. The new offer is available in both Economy Class and Business Class for flights within Europe. In addition, starting in September, B2B travel partners in Scandinavia will also be able to take advantage of this new option. The test phase will last approximately six months.

Increasing success of sustainable options

​At the end of May, Brussels Airlines had already improved its sustainable offer, by integrated the options for CO2-neutral flying directly into the flight booking, simplifying the process for its customers to buy sustainable fuel, investing in climate projects managed by myclimate or opt for a combination of both.