06-Oct-2022 4:34 PM

Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 06-Oct-2022

Analysis

This regular CAPA report provides a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news. This latest issue features:

Nine airlines sign LoIs for more than 130 AURA AERO ERA electric aircraft

Avianca Cargo and Ecoventura sign waste transport agreement

Wizz Air's CO2 emissions per pax km down 13% in Sep-2022

Aeroporti di Roma executes sustainability linked revolving credit facility

Brazil to participate in ICAO ACT-SAF programme

Summary

Nine airlines have signed letters of intent for over 130 AURA AERO ERA electric aircraft, including passenger, cargo, and VIP versions.
Avianca Cargo and Ecoventura have signed an agreement to transport waste from the Galapagos Islands to Guayaquil, contributing to waste reduction efforts.
Wizz Air's CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer decreased by 13% in September 2022.
Aeroporti di Roma has executed a sustainability-linked revolving credit facility, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability goals.
Brazil has signed a preliminary agreement to participate in the ICAO ACT-SAF program, which focuses on sustainable aviation fuels.
Approximately 40% of Aeroporti di Roma's capital structure is made up of sustainable finance instruments, with a goal of reaching at least 50% by 2025.

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.

Nine airlines sign LoIs for more than 130 AURA AERO ERA electric aircraft

AURA AERO announced (05-Oct-2022) nine airlines signed letters of intent (LoI) for more than 130 ERA electric aircraft.

Details include:

Afrijet Business Service: 10 aircraft;
Elitavia: 20;
DUX: 20;
Flying Green: 10;
FMS: 10;
Twin Jet: 25;
Another three airlines will be announced "shortly".

The LoIs cover passenger, cargo and VIP versions of the ERA aircraft.

The passenger version will be configured with 19 seats.

AURA AERO has more than 330 order intentions for the ERA aircraft. [more - original PR]

Original report: AURA AERO announces the signature of Letters of Intent for over 130 ERA aircraft, the electric 19-seater regional transport aircraft

Nine airlines have signed Letters of Intent for the three versions, passenger, cargo and VIP: Afrijet (Gabon - 10 aircraft), Elitavia (Malta - 20 aircraft), DUX (Brazil - 20 aircraft), Flying Green (France - 10 aircraft), FMS (Switzerland - 10 aircraft), Twinjet (France - 25 aircraft), and three airlines to be announced shortly.

Jérémy Caussade, co-founder and president of AURA AERO, said: "We are happy and proud to announce these new orders for ERA, an aircraft that will enable, thanks to modern and digital technology, to transport passengers and freight in total safety, with an extremely low emission rate and an unbeatable business plan. We are convinced, more than ever, of the relevance of this aircraft in the implementation of a decarbonized aviation."

ERA will offer point to point mobility for transporting passengers or cargo, with a massive reduction of noise levels and CO2 emissions, in view of a decarbonized aviation.

To this day, the ERA program stands at over 330 order intentions.

Avianca Cargo and Ecoventura sign waste transport agreement

Avianca Cargo signed (30-Sep-2022) an agreement with Ecoventura to transport over 750kg of waste per month from the Galapagos Islands to Guayaquil.

The waste will include cardboard, paper, glass and plastic, and will be transported from the newly opened Ecoventura Recycling Center on San Cristobal island. [more - original PR - Spanish]

Original report: Avianca Cargo y Ecoventura se unen para transportar residuos y contribuir a la reducción de desechos en las Islas Galápagos

La alianza permite el transporte de más de 750 kgs mensuales de residuos (cartón, papel, vidrio y plástico) generados por la operación turística de Ecoventura y tiene como objetivo contribuir a la lucha en contra la contaminación de desechos de las islas.
La firma del convenio se realizó en el marco de un evento apadrinado por los ministros de Turismo y Medio Ambiente de Ecuador, la presidenta del Consejo de Gobierno y el alcalde de San Cristóbal.
Esta iniciativa se suma a la estrategia de Avianca para tener una operación cada vez más sostenible, a través de: aviones reconfigurados que disminuyen la huella de carbono por pasajero, compensaciones de emisiones, programa líderes ambientales y la adquisición de una flota cada vez más eficiente, entre muchas otras.

Comprometidos con seguir impulsando estrategias de sostenibilidad que contribuyan al cuidado del ambiente, Avianca Cargo y Ecoventura firmaron una alianza para transportar desde las Islas Galápagos hacia Guayaquil, alrededor de 750 kg mensuales de residuos que se generan de la operación turística de los 4 yates.

La firma del convenio se llevó a cabo en el marco de la inauguración del Centro de Reciclaje de Ecoventura, que contó con la presencia de los ministros de Turismo, Niel Olsen; Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica, Gustavo Manrique; la presidenta del Consejo de Gobierno, Katherine Llerena y el alcalde de San Cristóbal, Henry Cobos. El centro de reciclaje permite el procesamiento de aproximadamente 9.000 kg anuales de residuos (vidrios, plásticos, cartón, papel) que son transportados y posteriormente entregados a la compañía ADS Ecuador, para que sean procesados en Ecuador continental.

"Alineados con nuestra estrategia de sostenibilidad, reafirmamos el compromiso de Avianca con el desarrollo de iniciativas que nos permitan contribuir a mitigar el impacto en el ambiente. En esta ocasión, de la mano de Ecoventura ponemos a disposición parte de nuestra capacidad de carga semanal para transportar residuos que ayuden a conservar el ecosistema de esta área natural protegida. Nuestros esfuerzos están centrados en tener un rol activo como facilitadores en proyectos climáticos que nos ayuden a materializar soluciones en beneficio de las comunidades donde operamos" afirmó Maria Isabel Colom, Gerente de Comunicaciones y Sostenibilidad de Avianca Cargo.

Ecoventura es una empresa que durante los últimos 30 años viene trabajando en las Islas Galápagos contribuyendo de manera permanente con el desarrollo socioeconómico del Archipiélago y con la conservación de su biodiversidad. "Hoy queremos aportar un granito de arena en la tarea de cuidado ambiental trasladando los residuos sólidos -cerca de 9000 kilos anuales de vidrio, plástico, papel y cartón- hacia el continente para su correcto manejo gracias al apoyo de Avianca. Esta es una muestra más que el turismo bien manejado y regulado es un aliado de la conservación de los ecosistemas", comentó Santiago Dunn, CEO de Ecoventura.

Por su parte el ministro de Turismo, Niels Olsen señaló que "felicitamos estas iniciativas que nos permiten impulsar el cuidado de Galápagos, recordando que donde haya turismo debe haber un impacto positivo para la comunidad y el medio ambiente, como parte de la premisa de que el turismo sea el vehículo de conservación y desarrollo del país", aseguró el ministro de Turismo.

El ministro del Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica, Gustavo Manrique, señaló que Ecuador está comprometido en la lucha contra la contaminación por plásticos y la correcta gestión de residuos sólidos. En este sentido, destacó algunas acciones que se desarrollan a través del Parque Nacional Galápagos, mencionado además que "el éxito de cada una de esas iniciativas ha sido el resultado de la suma de muchos esfuerzos, públicos y privados, a los que hoy se incorpora el proyecto de Avianca Cargo y Ecoventura. El Presidente Lasso priorizó el desarrollo sostenible desde el inicio de su gestión para construir un país verde y productivo. Junto a ustedes estamos demostrando que sí es posible".

Este convenio se suma a la estrategia de sostenibilidad de Avianca entre las cuales están:

Plan de reconfiguración de flota: 5 aviones con cabinas reconfiguradas ya vuelan desde Ecuador y con ello hemos logrado tener una mayor eficiencia y una disminución de hasta un 15% de la huella de carbono por pasajero.
Compensación de la huella de carbono: gracias a la alianza con CHOOOSE, los viajeros pueden registrar los datos de su viaje en la plataforma https://avianca.chooose.today/ para conocer la cantidad exacta de kilogramos de CO2 generados al volar y tener la opción de compensar la huella de carbono mediante un aporte voluntario en proyectos de restauración y conservación de ecosistemas o energías sostenibles en Latinoamérica.
Programa Líderes Ambientales: desde hace 10 años colaboradores de Avianca en Ecuador trabajan en proyectos ambientales y de reciclaje. Este año junto a los colegios de las comunidades aledañas al Aeropuerto de Quito dictamos charlas edu-formativas y lúdicas a 475 niños y jóvenes para promover la educación en reciclaje y conservación del medioambiente.
+88 aeronaves Airbus A320 Neo: se incorporarán a la operación a partir del 2025 y permitirán un 20% de ahorro en el consumo de combustible.

Wizz Air's CO2 emissions per pax km down 13% in Sep-2022

Wizz Air reported (04-Oct-2022) the following carbon emissions for Sep-2022:

Sep-2022:
- Carbon (CO2) emissions: 414,498 tonnes, +39.6% year-on-year;
- Carbon emissions per RPK: 55.3 grams, -12.7%.
Rolling 12 months to 30-Sep-2022:
- Carbon (CO2) emissions: 3.8 million tonnes, +121.1%;
- Carbon emissions per RPK: 68.0 grams -16.0%. [more - original PR]

Original report: September 2022 Traffic and CO2 Emission Statistics

Wizz Air Carried 4.6 Million Passengers, an Increase of 52% Year-on-year

Wizz Air Holdings Plc ("Wizz Air"), the fastest-growing and one of the most sustainable European airlines, today announces passenger and CO2 emission statistics for September 2022.

In September 2022, Wizz Air carried 4,573,889 passengers, representing a 51.5% increase compared to September 2021, at a load factor of 87.1%.

Wizz Air continued to grow its network and improve its customer offering in September, including:

· Wizz Air announced major expansion in Romania and rescue fares for Blue Air passengers. Additional five aircraft are being allocated to Bucharest, growing to 17 aircraft in total, and more capacity is added to Bacau, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Sibiu.

· Wizz Air announced re-opening of its base in Chisinau, Moldova with three aircraft and 15 resumed routes. The base was temporarily closed at the end of February this year as a result of closure of Moldovan airspace.

· Wizz Air has exercised its purchase rights under Airbus purchase agreement to firm up its order for additional 75 A321neo aircraft with delivery dates in years 2028 - 2029.

· Wizz Air has announced further expansion across Italy with additional 750,000 seats on sale from Rome and Milan and 12 new routes launching from October. The latest expansion makes Wizz Air a third largest airline in Italy in terms of capacity offered on sale.

· Wizz Air Malta has received an air operator certificate and an operating license. Its first flight was on 27 September from Rome Fiumicino International Airport.

· Wizz Air successfully repatriated one of its aircraft that was stranded in Ukraine.

· Wizz Air continuously operates amongst the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines, with 57.1 grams per passenger/km for the rolling 12 months to 30 September 2022. For the month of September CO2 emissions were 55.3 grams per passenger/km (12.7% lower compared to same month last year).

	Month			Rolling 12 months***
	September 2022	September 2021	Change**	30 September 2022	30 September 2021	Change
Capacity (seats)	5,252,893	3,837,062	36.9%	48,538,080	23,050,314	110.6%
Passengers*	4,573,889	3,019,665	51.5%	41,066,818	15,639,783	162.6%
Load Factor**	87.1%	78.7%	8.4ppts	84.6%	67.9%	16.7ppts

*booked passengers

**rounded to one decimal place

***adjusted to exclude non-revenue flights

Wizz Air Monthly CO2 Emission Statistics**

	Month				Rolling 12 months to:
	September 2022	September 2021	Change*	30 September 2022		30 September 2021	Change
CO2 emissions in tonnes	414,498	296,894	39.6%	3,837,383		1,735,598	121.1%
CO2 grams per passenger/km*	55.3	63.3	-12.7%	57.1		68.0	-16.0%

*rounded to one decimal place

**excluding cargo flights

Aeroporti di Roma executes sustainability linked revolving credit facility

Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) executed (04-Oct-2022) a EUR350 million sustainability linked revolving credit facility with a five year tenor and extension options of up to two years.

The applicable interest rate will be subject to a yearly step up or down adjustment, dependent on sustainability targets measured against the following KPIs:

Direct and indirect CO2 emissions associated with Rome Fiumicino Airport and directly controlled by ADR (Scope 1 and Scope 2);
CO2 emissions associated with Fiumicino that depend on third parties (Scope 3);
Gender equality in middle and senior management within the ADR group.

The credit facility is provided by eight financial institutions including Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale, and replaces the previous EUR250 million revolving credit facility, signed in Jul-2016 and expiring in Jul-2023.

Approximately 40% of ADR's capital structure is made up of sustainable finance instruments, with the goal of reaching at least 50% by 2025. [more - original PR]

Original report: ADR SIGNS A NEW €350 MILLION SUSTAINABLE CREDIT LINE

Fiumicino, 4 October 2022 - Aeroporti di Roma executed a new €350 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility, with a 5-year tenor and up to 2-years extension options.

Marco Troncone, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroporti di Roma, said: "This transaction, in its distinctive sustainability-linked format, further increases the share of sustainable financing sources and enriches and strengthens our concrete commitment on this front, which is a cornerstone of the Group's strategy. In fact, in spite of the current challenges in the energy sector, our decarbonisation commitment is becoming even more ambitious, increasing threefold the accessibility emissions (Scope 3) reduction goal, relying mainly on a future network of 5,400 recharging points for electric vehicles, the first ones already operational from September, and focusing on rail access, enhancing the partnership with Ferrovie dello Stato. The set of commitments is also enriched with a gender equality target within the key management figures of our Group. The undertakings in our Financing Framework are being reported on and continuously monitored by third parties, confirming that this is the time for concreteness and credibility in support of a transitional phase in one of Italy's strategic sectors which will be challenging but, with the right approach, achievable in the necessary timeframe and manner.

The new credit line replaces the previous €250 million revolving credit facility signed in July 2016 and expiring in July 2023, and aims to strengthen the company's liquidity profile.

The transaction, in the wake of the 2021 bond issue, has a sustainability-linked format, in order to strengthen the deep integration between sustainability goals and the company's financial strategy. Thanks to the new revolving credit facility, about 40% of ADR's capital structure is now made up of sustainable finance instruments, in line with the goal of reaching at least 50% by 2025.

The applicable interest rate (and, as a consequence, the commitment fees on undisbursed amounts) will be subject to an yearly step-up or step-down adjustment, depending on whether or not the sustainability targets relating to the following indicators were achieved during the previous year:

direct and indirect CO2 emissions associated with Fiumicino airport and directly controlled by ADR (Scope 1 and Scope 2)
CO2 emissions associated with Fiumicino airport that depend on third parties, essentially with reference to mobility to and from the airport (Scope 3)
gender equality in middle and senior management within the ADR group.

The first two KPIs contribute to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts", in line with ADR's 'Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework', updated in April 2022 and accompanied by the Second-Party Opinion issued by Sustainalytics.

The third KPI contributes to the achievement of SDG 5 "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls" by supporting Aeroporti di Roma's inclusive and gender diversity promotion strategy.

The credit facility is provided by eight leading financial institutions: Banco BPM, Barclays, BNP-Paribas, Crédit Agricole CIB, Intesa Sanpaolo, Mediobanca, Natixis and Société Générale, which acted jointly as Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners.

Crédit Agricole CIB and Mediobanca acted as ESG structuring agents, while Intesa Sanpaolo was appointed as Facility Agent.

ADR was assisted by the law firm Legance, while the financial institutions were assisted by the law firm White & Case.

Brazil to participate in ICAO ACT-SAF programme

ICAO, via its official Twitter account, announced (05-Oct-2022) Brazil signed a preliminary agreement to participate in the ICAO Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) programme.

As previously reported by CAPA, the programme was launched on 01-Jun-2022, aiming to provide opportunities for states to develop their full potential in SAF development and deployment.