UK Plans to ‘Accelerate’ Moves to Decarbonise Aviation

by Rob Gill (Business Travel News Europe) ... The latest short-term plan, which was revealed at the Sustainable Skies World Summit being held at Farnborough airport on Monday (17 April), includes measures to accelerate the development and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next two years.

This work is part of the UK’s Jet Zero decarbonisation strategy, which is led by a council made up of industry and government representatives.

Emma Gilthorpe, CEO of the Jet Zero Council, added: “The two-year plan published today will ensure we continue to accelerate progress and achieve the Jet Zero Council’s objectives of delivering 10 per cent SAF in the UK fuel mix by 2030 and zero emission transatlantic flight within a generation.”

Sustainable Aviation, which is made up of airports, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and industry bodies, said that the UK had the opportunity to become the “home of a low carbon aviation industry”.

But it also warned that this opportunity was “at risk without government support” and called for an industry-funded price support mechanism for SAF to help encourage more private funding.

The group is calling for the UK government to help the sector to operate more efficiently through the modernisation of airspace, as well as delivering commercial SAF production “at scale” in the UK within the current decade.

Sustainable Aviation also wants more government investment in new zero carbon emission aircraft, using fuels such as hydrogen, and to accelerate the rollout of carbon removal initiatives.

The group added that the increased cost of SAF and other decarbonisation moves would “inevitably reduce passenger demand”. Although its modelling showed that “even with slightly higher costs, people still want to fly, with overall growth in passenger numbers of almost 250 million by 2050”. READ MORE

Excerpt from AIN Online: The group published the latest edition of its annual ‘carbon roadmaps’ at the Sustainable Skies trade show, during which airline and aerospace industry leaders were set to lobby British government ministers during the eighth meeting of the country’s Jet Zero Council.

“There is a clear and credible plan to take carbon dioxide out of aviation through increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and also with hydrogen [propulsion],” Sustainable Aviation’s chair Matt Gorman told reporters. “It’s also an economic opportunity for the UK, but other countries, like the U.S., are moving ahead of the UK so this opportunity is at risk from a lack of government action."

Gorman, who also serves as London Heathrow Airport’s head of sustainability, acknowledged that meeting the net zero objectives will ultimately involve some reduction in flying activity. He predicted that less passenger traffic will account for about 14 percent of the overall cut in carbon output required and that rising costs associated with moves such as the increased use of SAF would inevitably drive the trend.

According to Sustainable Aviation’s latest roadmap, a shift from fossil fuels to SAF will account for some 40 percent of the CO₂ reduction. Another 25 percent will come from airlines replacing old, inefficient aircraft with new equipment and more direct flight paths made possible by the modernization of air traffic management processes and equipment. The longer-term introduction of new hydrogen-powered aircraft on shorter routes would deliver 10 percent of the required cut.

However, Matt Finch, policy manager with the UK group Transport & Environment expressed impatience at what he views as procrastination by the government in firming up the policy framework for sustainable aviation. He said that Harper is the third transport secretary in a Conservative administration that has been led by three different prime ministers in the past 12 months to say that new policy initiatives and funding will be treated as a matter of urgency. READ MORE