Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 05-Aug-2021

This CAPA report features a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news, selected from the 300+ news alerts published daily by CAPA. For more information, please contact us.

Air Canada lists 2020 sustainability highlights

Air Canada reported (03-Aug-2021) the following sustainability highlights for 2020:

• Implemented a COVID-19 Mitigation and Recovery Plan which includes the carrier's CleanCare+ programme, technological enhancement and medical relationships and collaborations;
• Committed to a climate action plan with a long term goal of net zero emissions by 2050, and 2030 absolute mid term GHG net reduction targets;
• Achieved pre pandemic, 2020 corporate waste strategy targets;
• First airline in North America to be IEnvA Stage 2 certified, the highest level of IEnvA compliance;
• Repurposed 809 tonnes of Air Canada materials, avoiding sending them to landfills. [more - original PR]

Original report: Air Canada Continues to Engage With Employees in Advancing Its Sustainability Goals and Commitments

"I feel proud to have supported our country and fellow Canadians during these unprecedented times. Working with the Red Cross gave me a chance to give back in a meaningful way." ­­- Air Canada employee Ameena Youssef on working with the Canadian Red Cross in their fight against COVID-19 by recruiting humanitarian workers for long-term health care facilities.

Air Canada Continues to Engage With Employees in Advancing Its Sustainability Goals and Commitments

• Sustainability is a top priority for Air Canada
• Climate Action Plan, committing to net-zero emissions by 2050
• Ongoing support to communities and children in need from coast to coast

With the help of its employees like Ameena Youssef and others, Air Canada continued to support communities in need across the country for various causes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one example of many other actions and accomplishments outlined in Air Canada's 2020 corporate sustainability report Citizens of the World released today.

"Our employees have shown great dedication, courage and tenacity. I am grateful to them for their professionalism, commitment and ability to overcome adversity," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. "2020 was without any doubt a year of great challenges, but also of opportunities for changes and improvements, innovations and creative solutions. Despite the challenges, one thing has never been clearer: we remain focused and committed to sustainability. Air Canada has been on this journey for quite some time, made significant progress over the years and will continue to move forward, ensuring to achieve its goals. We are definitely well positioned to take up on the challenges in the coming years."

As a global airline and as Citizens of the World, Air Canada aims - in everything it does - to integrate economic, environmental, and social factors organized into three sustainability pillars: Our Business, Our People and Our Planet.

Sustainability Report: 2020 Highlights

• Implemented the Covid-19 Mitigation and Recovery Plan which include its industry-leading CleanCare+ Program, technological enhancement and developed key medical relationships and collaborations.
• Operated 48 special flights in close cooperation with Global Affairs Canada and brought nearly 10,500 Canadians and Canadian residents home.
• Expansion of Air Canada Cargo more than 10,000 cargo-only flights since March 2020.
• Transformed Aeroplan program, which offers a range of new benefits, was recognized as the "Best Upand-Coming Program" in the Americas at the Freddie Awards.
• Re-distributed more than 770,000 kilograms of food to more than 70 front-line social service organizations across eight provinces, representing over 1.3 million meals. For 2021, we have already re-distributed 320,000 meals to 25 front-line organizations.
• Celebrated community heroes engaged with partners and supported communities by distributing in-kind support, carrying out fundraising initiatives and granting financial support to Canadian-registered charities.
• Named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the sixth consecutive year.
• Established and exceeded a target of women representing at least 30% of senior management by 2020.
• 33% of the Board are women.
• Committed to the BlackNorth Initiative pledge.
• Supported various scholarships.
• Committed to an ambitious Climate Action Plan with a long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, and 2030 absolute mid-term GHG net reduction targets.
• Achieved pre-pandemic, 2020 Corporate Waste Strategy targets.
• First airline in North America to be IEnvA Stage 2 certified, the highest level of IEnvA compliance.
• Signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration and attaining International Air Transport Association (IATA) Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) certification for cargo operations.
• Repurposed 809 tonnes of Air Canada materials, avoiding sending them to landfills.

"All these accomplishments would not have been possible without our dedicated employees. I am proud to see that despite the severe disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, we succeeded in maintaining a strong culture. Our ongoing commitment to employees has also been recognized. We were named one of Montreal's Top Employers for the eighth time and one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the sixth consecutive year. We progressively and continuously step up our efforts towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment because we know that a strong employee culture is the key to our recovery and future success," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs at Air Canada.

The airline obtained third-party assurance of select metrics, continuously ensuring the integrity of its reporting. More details about our 2020 performance are also available in our 2020 annual report. Further details are available at www.aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld.

Ryanair launches carbon calculator

Ryanair launched (28-Jul-2021) its carbon calculator, a new digital tool that will enable consumers to fully offset the emissions on their Ryanair flight.

The feature will calculate the carbon emissions per passenger on every Ryanair route and will allow customers to pay the full carbon cost of their service contributing to environmental initiatives. [more - original PR]

Original report: Ryanair Goes Greener With New Carbon Calculator

Customers Can Now Fully Offset Their Co2 Emissions

Ryanair, Europe's greenest major airline, has today (28 July) announced the launch of its carbon calculator, a new digital tool that will enable consumers to fully offset their emissions on their Ryanair flight. This new feature will calculate the carbon emissions per passenger on every Ryanair route and will allow customers to pay the full carbon cost of their flight contributing to environmental initiatives.

With this development, Ryanair is delighted to expand its carbon offset programme which currently allows customers to contribute €2 towards carbon offset projects. These contributions support several environmental initiatives, including Renature Monchique - a reforestation project in the Algarve; the distribution of energy-efficient cookstoves in Uganda by First Climate; Balikesir's Wind Power Plant Project in Turkey and Improved Kitchen Regimes in Malawi powered by CO2 Balance (the latter two in partnership with Shell).

Since Ryanair's voluntary carbon offset scheme commenced, customers have contributed over €3.5m to environmental projects and Ryanair believes the expansion of its carbon offset programme will be greatly welcomed by its customers throughout Europe. Ryanair already has the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km of any major airline in Europe (66g) and by switching to Ryanair, passengers can now further reduce their CO2 emissions.

Although Ryanair's CO2 emissions per passenger/km are already the lowest of any major EU airline, it believes that aviation must play a leading role in addressing climate change, and is placing an increased emphasis on mitigating how its business impacts the environment. By 2030, Ryanair's goal is to power 12.5% of its flights with sustainable aviation fuels - this together with the $22bn investment in new Boeing 737 8-200 'Gamechanger' aircraft will significantly reduce its CO2 and noise emissions over the next decade and help Ryanair achieve its aim of being a carbon neutral airline by 2050.

Director of Sustainability at Ryanair, Thomas Fowler said:

"Hundreds of thousands of Ryanair customers every year are already choosing to contribute and support the environment by selecting carbon contribution at their time of booking. The expansion of our Carbon Offset Scheme to enable our customers to fully offset the CO2 of their Ryanair flight will greatly enhance the capabilities of each of our environmental partners who are actively working on carbon offsetting programs.

Sustainability and environmental impact are considered in every business decision made in Ryanair and we are truly dedicated to being a net carbon neutral airline by 2050. Ryanair has the youngest fleet age of any major airline and this will further reduce now that we have taken delivery of our first Boeing 737-8200 'Gamechanger' aircraft - which are more fuel efficient [burning 16% less fuel per seat]; will lower noise emissions by 40% and have 8 more seats per aircraft. Ryanair has set a goal to power 12.5% of all flights with sustainable aviation fuels by 2030, having recently announced a partnership with Trinity College Dublin to engage in best-in-class research on this. We only operate point-to-point routes, have industry leading load factors and are delighted to have already removed over 80% of non-recyclable plastics from our flights.

Ryanair is committed to being a net carbon neutral airline by 2050 and the expansion of our offset scheme will further pave our way to achieving this goal while helping our environmental partners further their carbon reduction programs."

Seoul Incheon Airport to commission second hydrogen filling station in Jul-2021

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced (29-Jul-2021) plans to commission a hydrogen filling station at Seoul Incheon International Airport near terminal 2 on 30-Jul-2021.

This will be the airport's second hydrogen filling station, following the opening of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle charging station near terminal 1 in Jan-2021. [more - original PR - Korean]

Original report: 인천공항 내 두 번째 수소충전소 운영 개시

Bangalore Airport achieves 100% water positivity

Bangalore Kempegowda International Airport achieved (28-Jul-2021) 100% water positivity, meaning the airport replenishes more water than it consumes.

Bangalore implemented the following measures to become water positive:

• Developed 315 rainwater recharge pits in the campus to collect and harness rainwater;
• Installed rooftop rainwater harvesting sumps;
• Installed advanced drip irrigation system to reduce water usage for landscape;
• Developed sewerage treatment plant to recycle water;
• Developed drains to direct excess water flow to Bettakote Lake. [more - original PR]

Original report: Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru Campus Becomes Water Positive

CENTRELINE project completes initial research on the Propulsive Fuselage Concept

CENTRELINE project consortium reported (03-Aug-2021) it completed its initial research on the turbo-electric Propulsive Fuselage Concept, under which the propulsion system ingests and re-energies the fuselage boundary layer flow - a concept already used in the maritime sector.

The consortium found that a 'Propulsive Fuselage Aircraft' using fuselage wake-filling propulsion integration could be around 4.7% more efficient than an equally advanced conventional aircraft with 340 passengers.

The consortium involves Bauhaus Luftfahrt, Airbus Defence and Space, Airbus, MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, as well as four European universities. [more - original PR]

Original report: One step closer to climate-neutral aviation: International research team completes the conceptual proof for fuselage wake-filling propulsion integration

The so-called Propulsive Fuselage Concept (PFC) has the potential to play a key role in developing more efficient and less polluting airplanes of the future. The turbo-electric PFC aircraft for 340 passengers produces 4.7% less CO2 emissions compared to an equally advanced conventional aircraft. In addition to the two gas turbines on the wings, an electric fan is located at the aft-fuselage to produce thrust by ingesting and re-energising the airflow around the fuselage. The PFC configuration features excellent compatibility with other advanced technologies including hydrogen fuel technology. After 3.5 years of research, the consortium of the European-funded CENTRELINE project has managed to complete the proof of concept and experimental validation for this highly promising technology thereby maturing it to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and bringing it closer to a possible industrial uptake in the future.

Munich, 3 August 2021: The European Green Deal seeks to achieve a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050. This is a huge challenge for aviation requiring cutting-edge new technologies and innovations to make this happen. In enabling aviation's long-term sustainability, novel propulsion technology and propulsion-airframe integration play a key role. A yet untapped source of further efficiency improvements is associated with fuselage wake-filling propulsion integration, i.e., the ingestion and re-energisation of the fuselage boundary layer flow by the propulsion system. The positive effect of "wake-filling" on propulsive power requirements has long been known from the field of marine propulsion. Ship propellers are typically located at the aft body of the vessel and operated within the boundary layer flow close to the ship's body surface. This physical principle is also applicable to airborne propulsion, as the 11 CENTRELINE partners of six European countries have just proven. In this recently published "Propulsive Fuselage Aircraft" animation video, the team of leading research and industrial stakeholders show their vision of how to fly in 2035.

Project results form an important building block on the way we may be flying in 2035 and beyond

"We have successfully tackled the immediate challenges that are associated with fuselage wake-filling propulsion integration. With the proof of concept performed in CENTRELINE, we have lifted this cutting-edge technology to the next level. Our achievement may represent an important steppingstone on the way to preparing "Propulsive Fuselage" technology for a possible aircraft product development in the future", says project coordinator Arne Seitz of Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. "In order to support any follow-on research and innovation activities, we have devised a roadmap for the PFC aircraft technology towards TRL 6 by the year 2030. As a further enhancement of its innovative potential, we have identified a set of further advanced technologies that feature excellent compatibility with the PFC aircraft configuration. All this was enabled by a great collaborative spirit and excellent individual contributions from the partners in the project."

The scientific and technological development outcomes from CENTRELINE are highly relevant for follow-on research and innovation activities. This is the result of the methodological advancements and systems design knowledge developed as well as due to the synergistic compatibility of fuselage wake-filling propulsion integration with other promising technologies, such as revolutionary core engines (such as the Composite cycle Engine, CCE), High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) technology, ultra-efficient wing technologies (such as Natural Laminar Flow, NLF, wings as demonstrated by the BLADE demonstrator in Clean Sky, and, liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel technology.

Propulsion Fuselage Concept leads to cleaner long-distance flights

The CENTRELINE partners maximised the benefits of aft-fuselage wake-filling under realistic systems design and operating conditions. A thorough understanding of the aerodynamic effects of 360° fuselage boundary layer ingestion was developed through extensive aero-numerical simulations and low-speed wind tunnel and fan rig testing. All detailed design and analysis results were incorporated in a multi-disciplinary aircraft family pre-design and the PFC technology was rigorously benchmarked against a similarly advanced but conventional aircraft. The evaluation was performed for the impactful mid-to-long range air transport task featuring 340 passengers and 6500 nmi (~12,000 km) design range in the year 2035. It shows -4.7% CO2 for the turbo-electric PFC against the advanced reference aircraft or -36% relative to a year 2000 baseline. PFC NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) emissions during the ICAO Landing and Take-off (LTO) cycle are reduced by 1.8% relative to the year 2035 reference, and by 41% compared to the year 2000 baseline. During cruise (high-level), the PFC aircraft may cut NOx emissions by 20% and 64% against year 2035 and 2000 standards, respectively.

High-quality research outputs are paving the way towards TRL 6

During the 3.5-year programme, the CENTRELINE consortium has formed a strong team of leading research and industrial stakeholders supporting Europe's leading position in aviation. Several PhD researchers have worked on topics of high interest to the aeronautical community and CENTRELINE partners disseminated their results in several scientific journals. A Policy Maker Workshop was organized (Brussels, 2019) and dedicated CENTRELINE sessions have been held at ISABE and EASN conferences (2019). At the EC Aerodays (Bucharest, 2019) the wind tunnel model and a section of the fuselage fan blading were displayed. Public project reports documenting the detailed technical results can be downloaded from the CENTRELINE project website. CENTRELINE's PFC technology was also featured in broadcasts by euronews and BBC. A joint journal article prepared by the consortium summarises the final project results and can be openly assessed under the following link: https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8010016.

CENTRELINE Background

The CENTRELINE project stands for "ConcEpt validatioN sTudy foR fusElage wake-filLIng propulsioN intEgration" and was funded with 3.7 million euros by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 framework programme. Coordinated by Bauhaus Luftfahrt, the CENTRELINE project consortium comprised 11 partners from six European countries. Beside Bauhaus Luftfahrt, these included four leading industry partners, namely Airbus Defence and Space, Airbus Operations, MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, as well as four reputable European universities, namely Chalmers University of Technology, Delft University of Technology, the University of Cambridge and Warsaw University of Technology, supported by the management consulting partners ARTTIC Innovation GmbH and ARTTIC SAS. The CENTRELINE consortium was accompanied by a technical advisory board of experts from industrial stakeholders and research organisations.