Capa Centre for Aviation and Abta Decarbonising Tourism webinars: Senior Continued from page 40


of SAF is three times the price of kerosene, principally due to the low volume of manufacture.” He added: “We need the policy


framework. Governments need to do what they did with road transport where they provided incentives for fuel companies to produce alternative fuels. “Mandating airlines to use a


product that is not available is madness. We need fuel companies mandated to produce it. Once we get a global policy framework we can get motoring.” Walsh argued: “We have to


reduce the amount of additional CO2 we’re putting into the atmosphere and that is where SAFs come in. Trying to suppress aviation is not going to improve environmental performance.” He defended the use of carbon


offsets and the industry’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia), but acknowledged: “Offsetting has been undermined. It’s questionable whether some offsetting schemes being pursued five to 10 years ago were achieving anything. But Corsia is regulated. The credibility of these offsets has been tested, is being verified and audited.” Corsia is in an initial voluntary


phase and only becomes mandatory from 2027. Walsh insisted: “We’ll have


to continue to use offsets. [But] going forward we’ll have other forms of technology.” He noted: “Airbus is upbeat


about producing a hydrogen aircraft by 2035. Boeing is less positive. They think there are a lot of hurdles. The critical point is how we produce the hydrogen. There is no point claiming hydrogen is the solution if it’s not produced in a green way. There is a lot of work to be done on that.”


Brennan: Aviation has lost PR battle on emissions


The aviation industry has “lost the PR battle” on greenhouse gas emissions and “will be in trouble” when airlines return to full capacity, a senior industry figure has warned. Eamonn Brennan, director


general of European air traffic management body Eurocontrol, issued the warning last week saying: “People don’t believe us at the moment.” Speaking on a Capa Centre for


Aviation webinar, Brennan argued: “Aviation is about 3%-3.5% of emissions. [But] we’ve lost the PR battle. “When people think of the big


polluters they don’t think of the IT industry being 10% of emissions. They look in the sky and see [aircraft] contrails. If you ask people what is the bigger polluter, agriculture or aviation, most would say aviation.” He reported aircraft emissions


in Europe in the nine months to this September were down 54% on 2019, but warned: “When it [capacity] all piles back in we’ll be in trouble again. Unless we come through with something really good we’re going to be in trouble.”


Eamonn Brennan


Asked when there might be


progress on a single European sky to reduce emissions through improved air traffic efficiency, Brennan said: “Something needs to happen. The problem is we have a fragmented air traffic control system. In the US there is one system. In Europe there are 42 jurisdictions.”


Iata to specify standard for airline emissions reporting


Iata is poised to publish proposals for an aviation emissions reporting standard, with director general Willie Walsh insisting “as an industry, we have to get better”. Walsh said: “It is critical people


have confidence when an airline is reporting [emissions] that the way they’re reporting is credible and can be verified and audited.” He said the reporting standard


could become mandatory for Iata airlines “so people aren’t abusing the system”. Speaking on a Capa Centre for


Aviation webinar, Walsh argued: “Airlines have always focused on the amount of fuel they use. Where there have been issues is where airlines report things like CO2 per passenger kilometre and there isn’t the same standard being used. We’re working to establish a recommended practice on reporting. “We’ve consulted widely and will be publishing something shortly.


38 18 NOVEMBER 2021


emissions in grams per passenger kilometre we have to make sure we’re all using the same criteria.” Walsh insisted: “Airlines that


mis-state their performance will get caught out and be shamed. “We saw the controversy with the


Willie Walsh


We’re debating whether we make it a requirement for airline members to report in a single way.” Walsh acknowledged the


International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is also working on a standard for reporting emissions. He argued: “There is a direct


relationship between the amount of kerosene [fuel burned] and CO2. Every tonne of kerosene produces 3.16 tonnes of CO2. “But when people are reporting


auto industry when it became clear some manufacturers were cheating with the way they reported their environmental performance. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen in the airline industry. “Where we see evidence of mis-


reporting emissions we’ll call it out.” He added: “Iata covers 82% of the


industry. If we can get an accepted practice – and, if necessary, mandate it to give credibility to it – I believe the rest of the industry will follow.” Walsh dismissed the many carbon


calculators available to passengers to calculate the emissions from specific flights, saying: “They’re all wrong. Some calculations are grossly overstated, some grossly understated.”


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