Regional focus
In November 2021, Heathrow welcomed passengers travelling to the US for the first time in more than 600 days.
60%
Fewer passengers through Heathrow in 2021 compared with 2019 figures. Heathrow Airport
10
Holland-Kaye says the only way to reach net-zero aviation by 2050 is to change the fuel used in existing planes across the industry from kerosene to SAF, which is made from agricultural and domestic waste but could also be produced synthetically by combining carbon and hydrogen. There are already a range of production technologies, some of which have been around since the 1930s, but production is small scale and expensive, with SAF currently two to four times more expensive than kerosene. The good news, however, is that you can blend SAF with kerosene in existing planes, so the faster you scale up, the faster you decarbonise. “Unlike other sectors, you don’t have to change the entire system, just the fuel. You can fly from Heathrow to Moscow with SAF and return using kerosene. This is a critical advantage over electric and hydrogen- based solutions, which require both ends of the route to have the same facilities,” Holland-Kaye said. “We need a progressively increasing mandate from governments for an increasing proportion of SAF to be blended with kerosene.” In September 2021, 60 companies in the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition pledged to power global aviation with 10% SAF by 2030, sending a clear signal to suppliers to start investing in production of SAFs. But the UK alone would need 12–14 SAF plants at a cost of £3–8bn just to reach that goal. “Getting to net zero by 2050 will take hundreds of billions of dollars of investment,” Holland-Kaye noted. “That may sound daunting, but when we talk to bankers, they say this is one of the most investable green projects.”
At present, most new SAF investments are going to the Netherlands, Canada and the US, but Holland- Kaye would like to see UK operators using government investment and loan guarantees to bring them to Aberdeen, Teesside and the Humber, replacing the country’s legacy oil industry.
“Investing for our passengers and scaling up SAF capacity are key stepping stones to ensuring the UK’s aviation sector builds back stronger from the worst of the Covid crisis. These investments will give the UK on a solid foundation to pursue its ambitions in the decades ahead,” he stressed.
Future priorities
Over the next several years, Holland-Kaye plans to keep the pressure up on decarbonising the sector. “We need a mandate for 10% SAF use by 2030, government funding to scale-up production and an agreement at ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organisation] next year for net zero by 2050,” he summarised. “The agreements at COP26 are great, but ICAO is a rule- making body and we need binding agreements.” He is also committed to protecting investment in passenger services to maintain the UK’s world-leading aviation status and building a diverse skills pipeline of future aviation leaders who will pick-up the controls of our sector where he will ultimately leave off. Finally, he would like to see a clear aviation strategy in the UK that makes trading and travelling through its airports more efficient, aggressively pursues increased global connectivity and ensures every part of the UK has guaranteed access to Heathrow. He believes the Omicron variant shouldn’t be cause for too much panic, calling it a ‘speed bump’ in the sector’s recovery. There is still a long way to go to get back to pre- Covid passenger levels. But Holland-Kaye’s overarching message is that the sector should not be discouraged. “Every industry needs to adapt for the future, and they need to do it now – the aviation industry is not an exception. Right now, we have an open door in front of us to reinvigorate the UK’s aviation industry for the next 75 years. The consequences of the choices we make in the next few years will determine if future generations of Britons will continue to enjoy the full benefits of a vibrant aviation industry.” ●
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
Heretheplanet /
Shutterstock.com
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