Aviation must be united on sustainability
By DAVID CASEY
David Casey | Editor-in-Chief david.casey@informa.com
Aviation stakeholders across Europe are making huge strides in becoming greener, putting sustainability at the center of their business strategies as the industry gears up to meet its net zero targets.
Here in Scandinavia—where the flight shaming movement originated and disrupted passenger demand before the pandemic—airlines and airports are demonstrating visible progress toward becoming more environmentally responsible.
Widerøe is working with companies like Embraer and Rolls-Royce to study a conceptual zero-emission regional aircraft, while SAS Scandinavian Airlines is collaborating with Vattenfall, Shell and LanzaTech to investigate the production of the world’s first synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Our Routes Europe 2022 host, Norway’s airport operator Avinor, is also adapting its infrastructure for alternative energy sources, as well as actively working to reduce carbon emissions across its own airport operations with a goal of becoming fossil-free by 2030.
Indeed, our conference program this week will feature the CEOs and leaders driving the change, highlighting the progress being made in the region and outlining why Scandinavia is a leading light in the road toward decarbonizing aviation.
Elsewhere across Europe, similar initiatives are taking place, from immediate measures like flying more fuel-efficient aircraft and offering carbon offsets to customers, to longer-term investments around future technologies, exploring new propulsion systems, and increasing production and use of SAFs.
Although the approaches may be different, the goal is the same—to make the industry more environmentally sustainable. The sector recognizes that the path toward net zero remains a huge challenge, but the solutions are real and, crucially, are being implemented.
Despite this, a gap exists between perception and reality. Although aviation contributes approximately 3% of global emissions today, it is often assumed to be a far greater polluter, so the industry must work harder to convince the public and policymakers that it is taking its responsibilities seriously.
While some carriers do a better job communicating their strategies and the options available to customers, others are more defensive when it comes to sustainability. The message often appears uncoordinated and contradictory, leaving the sector open to attacks and accusations of greenwashing.
Given that sustainability is starting to influence where airlines fly—as some governments look to introduce environmental taxes and put pressure on carriers to scale back their short-haul networks where high-speed train options exist—clear and transparent messaging is crucial.
If the industry wants to continue to self-regulate when it comes to its environmental responsibilities, more must be done to communicate its positive actions in a unified way, helping to shape public perception and ensuring the support of policymakers.
After all, if the sector doesn’t earn the right to grow, its right to exist will be under threat.
