Westminster Energy, Environment and Policy Conference: Decarbonising air travel in the UK remains Continued from page 64


flights and emissions suggests air travel will continue to grow year on year but at a slower rate than otherwise due to the increase in fares. Catherall explained: “The


policies reduce demand growth for direct flights [in Europe] by 11% by 2030 and 12% in 2050 relative to business as usual, and by 4% and 9% respectively for connecting flights.” The study suggests the


EU policies “would lead to net carbon savings of 4% in 2030 and 33% in 2050 on direct flights, and 2% and 24% respectively for connecting flights” and “average fares [would] rise by 11% in 2030, and by 13% in 2050”. However, this falls far short


of the targeted reductions, with Catherall concluding: “More would be needed to meet the goals of a 55% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050.” He warned: “We should be


under no illusion. Emissions won’t be substantially reduced for some time. Making progress on SAF is crucial. [But] reducing demand in the near term is one of the only real ways of making significant progress on [reducing] emissions. “The EU has proposed


to go further with its energy taxation directive. If the UK wants to make quicker progress and have the most chance of meeting its targets, it will need to look at measures that affect demand.” Catherall also warned that


the UK government’s ‘jet zero’ strategy “relies on assumptions that are challenging” and suggested the need for a “fallback plan”.


‘Operational efficiencies key to decarbonisation’


The aviation industry has “come a long way in a short time” in considering alternative fuels but greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow, making prioritisation of action essential. That is according to Mark


Westwood, head of the Cranfield Centre of Aeronautics, who told the Westminster conference: “Pre-Covid, the aerospace industry didn’t talk much about alternative fuels.” However, Westwood said: “The


story the atmosphere tells us is that the concentration of greenhouse gases continues to go up. It increased again in the last 12 months.” He argued: “That is why the


number-one priority is around operational efficiencies – the things we can do today with the technology we have now, like air traffic management improvements, zero-emission ground vehicles and minimising the time aircraft have auxiliary power units running. “Remember, every tonne of CO2


‘Sector needs to accelerate efforts to cut emissions’


The continuing growth of air travel means there has been “little or no progress” in reducing the industry’s overall emissions. Andrew Chadwick, ecosystem


director for air mobility and airports at transport innovation accelerator Connected Places Catapult, said: “Global demand will grow in the coming decades and our emissions


62 27 JUNE 2024 Hamburg airport


we save today is CO2 that won’t sit in the atmosphere for 100 years.” Westwood identified sustainable


aviation fuel (SAF) as “the second priority”, noting: “It’s a drop-in solution and, from a technology perspective, the challenges are relatively small.” Rather than the technology, the challenges are around “the scalability of supply, the economics of the supply chain, land use and the effects on other users of using some feedstocks”. Synthetically produced liquid


hydrocarbons, or ‘power-to- liquid’ fuels, appear potentially


will continue to grow unless we accelerate improvements in energy efficiency and switch to low-carbon fuels. So far, the sector has made little or no progress on this.” Chadwick added: “Non-CO2


effects, on top of carbon emissions, account for between half and two-thirds of [the total] warming effect, which means commercial aviation accounts for about 5% [of global warming].” At the same time, he noted: “Only 1% of the world’s population accounts for 50% of aviation emissions.” He added: “If aviation


were a country, it would be the


Andrew Chadwick


sixth-highest polluter in the world.” However, Neil Cloughley, chief


executive of Faradair Aerospace, said: “It’s unfair to say the industry hasn’t done anything to reduce emissions. We have much cleaner engines [today].”


travelweekly.co.uk


the most promising form of SAF, but Westwood warned of the need for “lots of renewable energy to support power to liquid”. He told the conference: “Priority


number three is hydrogen – the most feasible alternative to natural or synthetic hydrocarbons.” But he noted there are “lots


of issues to be addressed with hydrogen production, storage and transport and the large-scale supply of renewable energy” required to produce ‘green hydrogen’. Westwood said: “There are also


lots of challenges around aircraft design, propulsion, integration, safety regulation and the processes involved with handling liquid hydrogen at scale.” Yet he insisted: “It’s a big opportunity for the UK to take a leading role.” Cranfield was recently awarded


a £69 million research and development fund for a programme on hydrogen handling, hydrogen combustion and investment in hydrogen infrastructure at airports.


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Filmbildfabrik


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