Green, clean and easy to breath
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Posted Date: 19/05/2008
Issue: Executive & VIP Aviation International June 2008
Publication: Executive & VIP Aviation International
Private jet operations have much to recommend them in the green debate. They are low volume, they tend to operate to and from small airports away from hubs and they have a much lower impact than their airliner big brothers. According to the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), business aviation contributes a tiny percentage – less than 1% – of total air traffic CO2 emissions. In terms of CO2 contributions from all sectors, business aviation comes in at about 0.02% of the total, says EBAA.
At the end of 2006, the European Commission decided to include business aviation in the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). EBAA has proposed an alternative means of compliance for business aviation based on its low level of emissions and the fact that the large majority of the estimated 2,000 business aviation operators in Europe have less than five aircraft. EBAA is currently preparing a voluntary carbon offset scheme for small operators which would work within the EU ETS but at a reduced cost to operators.
The speed at which private jet travel is catching on is putting this sector firmly under the spotlight in an era when the planet is already shuddering under the demands man is making on it. As fleets are beginning to grow, it is becoming easier to foresee a time when fleets swell beyond the five unit mark mentioned by EBAA and high volumes of air taxis could be creating new traffic jams in the air. Truth be told, any fossil fuel operation causes an environmental impact and the fact that private jets may impact less on the environment than the airlines or heavy industry, does not mean there is not work to be done to improve their efficiency.
Clean OEM campaigns
In the line up of environmental villains, the engine manufacturers are probably the most dastardly of them all. But Clean Sky initiatives under the auspices of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) include a programme being co-led by Rolls-Royce and Snecma, both of whom are heavily active in the business jet arena.
The two engine OEMs are seeking to lead an initiative to achieve engine design which delivers a reduction in noise, emissions, fuel burn, maintenance and system complexity and cost. The objectives are to design, build and test a number of demonstrator vehicles and rigs to validate the benefits of innovative, environmental technologies in a realistic operating environment. The deliverables are targeted to be proven architecture for advanced engines and mature “ready to use” technologies.
Engine manufacturers alone will not beat back the environmental impacts of aviation. Airframers too are part of the green equation; noticeably, Airbus and Dassault have both signed up to the ASD’s Clean Sky programme in order to accelerate the introduction of new, radically greener technologies in new generation aircraft. It is the largest European research project ever and will run over a seven year period with a total budget of €1.6 billion contributed equally by the European Commission and industry.
Clean Sky will be a major contributor towards meeting the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe’s green goals by 2020. These are: a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions, a 80% reduction in NOx emissions, a 50% reduction in external noise and a green product life cycle.
Business jet players are both jointly and severally pursuing green initiatives. For example, while Dassault Aviation is a participant of Clean Sky, it has its own green agenda to pursue, particularly in relation to controlling the impact of its industrial activities on the environment. The Dassault Aviation production facilities are governed by legislation covering Environmental Protection Classified Installations and, as such, are organised to control the environmental aspects of major production facilities and processes. Its environmental policy seeks to curb the impact of its industrial activities and its products on the environment. The company has set up an environmental management system at each production site in order to obtain ISO 14001 certification and the improvement or replacement of certain industrial processes.
Green facilities aside, of course all engine and aircraft OEMs are pursuing lower fuel consumption through the adoption of technologies that chase fuel reduction goals for both environmental and cost purposes – let’s not forget that crude has hovered near $100 per barrel.
At one extreme, Airbus has completed the first test flight with alternative fuel on a civil aircraft by flying an A380 aircraft using a liquid fuel processed from gas (GTL) in the first stage of a test flight programme to evaluate the environmental impact of alternative fuels. Granted the trial was aimed at the airline market and there are not likely to be many A380s in VIP configuration but the principle remains that alternative fuels are being pioneered. The A380 has four engines – including segregated fuel tanks – making it ideal for engine shut down and re-light tests under standard evaluation conditions. During the flight, engine number one was fed with a blend of GTL and jet fuel whilst the remaining three were fed with standard jet fuel. This was the first step of a long-term Airbus testing phase to evaluate viable and sustainable alternative fuels for the future.
Let’s also not forget that Virgin Atlantic flew one of its 747s on biofuel during a demonstration flight in February. This was part of a major initiative among some airlines and Boeing to discover sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future.
Clean charter
It is not just the OEMs that are pursuing green credentials. Private jet charter organisation ExecuJet has launched a CO2 offset programme with non-profit, environmental foundation, myclimate, in order to offer its charter customers worldwide the opportunity to fly carbon neutral. It is the first private jet charter company to align with myclimate.
By purchasing a myclimate ticket, ExecuJet customers, flying primarily Bombardier business jets, including the long range Global Express, are able to offset the climate relevant emissions generated by a journey through investing in a climate protection project and play an active role in preserving the environment.
Each journey’s offset price is determined by myclimate, taking into account the climate relevant emissions generated per hour flown, and costs of offsetting a ton of CO2 in a carbon offset project. All projects reduce emissions by promoting renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, hence replacing fossil fuel based energy. For example, in India, biomass is being pursued. In another project in Indonesia, a hydropower station is being renovated in order to increase the output.
Air Charter Service in the UK is one company that is taking notice of what the environmentalists are saying. It took the plunge in October 2007 to become a CarbonNeutral company. It undertook a carbon output study on all its offices in London, New York, Dubai and Moscow to see how much gas or electricity they use and how they dispose of their waste. It then worked out how much it would have to offset their emissions by to balance the output.
It chose to offset its emissions against a carbon neutral project in the industrial region of Rhine-Rhur. The project captures the methane released from three abandoned coalmines to use it to reheat a local village. Air Charter Service then buys credits to use for flying to make the service carbon neutral.
Managing Director Tony Bauckham says that carbon offsetting and reduction should be done in unison. The company aspires to reduce emissions by making its offices, as well as the aircraft, more environmentally efficient. “The first step in this process is to offset the emissions that are currently being generated, however everybody should have a responsible attitude and each company should make as much effort as possible to reduce emissions,” he says.
“Companies could go for aircraft that are proven to be less polluting because of less fuel burn. The majority of operators move towards modern aircraft now and there’s an economic advantage as well because the [engines] are more efficient.”
While Bauckham acknowledges that there isn’t currently a body that oversees the environmental activity of the business jet community, operators are increasingly becoming aware of the need to take greater action to protect the environment.
“Several of them are moving towards becoming carbon neutral through the CarbonNeutral Company and the private aviation industry is becoming more aware of what needs to be done. Some of us are already taking specific action for the emissions we produce.”
Then there is the Lindbergh Foundation that has been offering an alternative to carbon offset programmes with its Aviation Green investment fund. This fund is an alternative to carbon offset programmes for aviation operators who want to demonstrate that they are sensitive to environmental issues and are willing to take action. The suggested donation for participation in the Aviation Green Investment Fund is 8 cents for each gallon of fuel used. This represents an industry standard amount cited by current carbon offset programmes.
The air taxi operators are also keen to point out their planet aware strategies by flying new cleaner technology. As Ed Iacobucci has pointed out, his DayJet operation is aimed at lifting people out of polluting SUVs on congested roads and putting them into cleaner high technology aircraft in the air. Of course we are yet to see the full environmental and air traffic impact of VLJ fleets and only time will tell what the real impact will be.
Bizjet specific
While the aviation industry initiatives to tackle harm to the planet are plentiful, the private jet business cannot hide behind a mantel of being perhaps less polluting than its big brother commercial airlines. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is the US association of aviation business service providers. Its mission is three-fold: to be a national trade association representing the business interests of general aviation service companies on legislative and regulatory matters at the Federal level; to provide education, services and benefits to its members that contribute to their long-term economic success; and to ensure the well-being and continuity of the association.
NATA has created a new environmental committee to address pressing environmental issues confronting members. The committee will be a regular standing committee within the NATA committee structure and will meet in conjunction with the association’s air charter, aircraft maintenance and systems technology, airports, business management, flight training, and safety and security committees.
While the tasks for this new committee will be developed during initial meetings in 2008, a number of issues are already being considered including: aircraft emissions and carbon offset programmes; spill prevention and containment; changes to the Clean Water Act as they affect aviation businesses; and concerns on the over usage and environmental impact of de-icing fluid. Leading the new panel as its Chairman is DayJet Vice President of Strategic Operations Traver Gruen-Kennedy.
Some way; but enough?
The initiatives to counter environmental harm caused by building, operating and maintaining private jets are many and varied but do they do enough? Is the business jet community coming together to protect the planet in a productive manner and are individual players in the private jet market taking their own environmental responsibilities seriously enough?
Tim Johnson, Director of the Aviation Environment Federation, says: “Growth in the private jet business is alarming. Initiatives like that of NATA to look at environmental impacts are welcome, but unfortunately industry-led committees are often more talk than action when it comes to reducing the environmental damage of air travel.”
The level of greenhouse gas emissions from the business jet community may currently seem low but, as the sector is growing rapidly, so are its carbon emissions. The trouble, he says, is that the sector is growing at a faster rate than the innovative changes being made to improve technological or operational efficiency. This means that any potential savings that result from the more efficient technology are wiped out by the sheer increase in the number of jets operating.
“Better aircraft efficiency is projected to deliver a per-plane reduction of 1-2% per year in terms of reduced fuel burn, while the aviation sector globally is likely to increase by 4-5% per year,” he says.
Carbon offsetting has been embraced by the aviation industry but NGOs and environmentalists would argue that offsetting, while it should strongly be encouraged, gives the impression that operators can maintain their flying patterns and not feel the need to reduce their current emission levels. Johnson says such schemes never guarantee that these carbon savings would not have happened anyway, as a lot of carbon offsetting measures are passed off as projects that are already under way.
“Any offset scheme should be ‘additional’ [to carbon reduction efforts] and should be based on renewable energy projects,” says Johnson. “It should also be used as a last resort, after operators have exhausted all other options to reduce emissions.
“If any offset scheme is going to be sufficient to persuade Europe to exclude business aviation flights with aircraft above a maximum take-off weight of 5,700kg from an emissions trading scheme, it is going to have to deliver high standards and be applied on a mandatory basis to all association members.”
What to do next?
So what should be done to help mitigate the damage caused by private aviation? “We’d like to see businesses thinking creatively about ways to reduce their travel and ensure that the journeys that are made use the most efficient form of transport available,” says Johnson. “Telepresencing, the latest in video-conferencing technology, can now allow people on opposite sides of the world to conduct a meeting as if they were in the same room. And when many businesses now have offices all round the world, it should surely be possible to minimise the number of trips made by any one person.”
Carbon Footprint is a family-run company based in the UK which works with businesses and individuals around the world to look at where they are most carbon intensive and then finds ways to cut their carbon emissions. John Buckley, its Managing Director, says there are some simple ways to lessen the damage caused by private jet travel and the company is keen to work with the aviation industry to raise awareness about what it can do.
“On a passenger per mile ratio, [jets] give off more emissions than bigger planes,” says Buckley. “Companies should be looking at trying not to fly as the main objective.” But he adds: “While our main aim is to reduce carbon emissions, if people can’t avoid flying then we would encourage them to at least offset their emissions.”
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