The world's aviation industry's efforts to "green"

Developing emission reduction technology; reducing the use of fossil fuels, gradually replacing them with sustainable fuels; researching electric aircraft models... are efforts of the world aviation industry to realize the commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050.

Use sustainable fuels

Earlier this year, United Arab Emirates (UAE) airline Emirates marked a major step towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 with a flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

[caption id="attachment_432222" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Emirates successfully tests flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Photo: The Aviator[/caption]

The Gulf region is home to three of the world’s largest and most prominent airlines: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad, UAE’s Emirates and Qatar Airways. Etihad has been ranked number one in the world for two consecutive years in the Green Airline rankings. Etihad has announced its goal of halving its emissions by 2035 and becoming a zero-emission airline by 2050.

Emirates and Qatar Airways are developing a roadmap to become zero-emission airlines by 2050. In addition, the UAE and Gulf's leading renewable energy development agency, Masdar, has also signed a cooperation agreement with Airbus to develop clean energy for the aviation industry. Notably, in their vision, future aircraft will be able to run on new energy sources such as Hydrogen or energy from the air.

To promote sustainable aviation fuel, the European Union has set a target of 2% SAF fuel use by 2030 and 5% by 2050 under the bloc’s common agreement. In Asia, major Japanese airlines such as Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have also started using SAF, while mapping out a roadmap to reach the regulated emissions level by 2050.

Electric aircraft development

In September 2022, the battery-powered aircraft model named Alice by Israeli manufacturer Eviation successfully conducted its first test flight in Washington (USA). This is a passenger aircraft model capable of carrying a total of more than one ton, equivalent to 9 people with luggage, reaching a maximum speed of about 480km/h. The aircraft uses a MagniX engine and a giant battery system from the manufacturer AVL, both from the US.

Eviation CEO Gregory Davis said the company is aiming to develop a battery that can charge in about 35 minutes and last for a short trip of one to two hours.

Meanwhile, the British company Hybrid Air Vehicle also developed the electric aircraft Airlander - a modern aircraft model, integrating many advanced technologies.

[caption id="attachment_432234" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Hybrid Air Vehicles is developing the Airlander electric aircraft. Photo: Live Science[/caption]

According to the manufacturer, this aircraft model has a maximum payload of 10 tons, can fly continuously for 5 days, has a range of up to 7,400 km and a maximum altitude of 6,000 meters. The aircraft model expected to be put into operation in 2026 will operate in a hybrid configuration, with 2 internal combustion engines and 2 electric engines. By 2030, the Airlander will be fully electric.

Mr. Tom Grundy - CEO of Hybrid Air Vehicle Company: "Airlander is the world's most efficient large aircraft, it is designed to transport 10 tons of cargo, 100 passengers and bring these goods and passengers to the right destination, but only emit 10% of the emissions compared to other aircraft".

Another aircraft that aims for net-zero emissions is the hypersonic aircraft Overture from startup Boom Supersonic. In addition to reducing flight times, Overture will feature the world’s first automatic noise reduction system and operate without additional combustion to boost thrust.

To date, carbon reduction solutions for the aviation industry are still being researched and developed. However, to move towards decarbonization in one of the industries that emits the most carbon will require a process with the efforts and cooperation of all stakeholders: from the government, aircraft and engine manufacturers, SAF suppliers, airports, airlines, financial institutions... Especially when customers have to pay more for sustainable travel, which means the demand for air travel will decrease, this is not an easy problem for the aviation industry.

Minh Thai