Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 16-Jan-2020

15 years of risk: from economic collapse to planetary devastation

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today committed to a minimum target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050 and halving of its 2019 net emission levels by 2035.

The company's ambitious environmental targets will be achieved through a mix of internal initiatives, collaboration with industry partners and adoption of a comprehensive program of relevant carbon offsets, to be developed with specific focus on the requirements of the UAE and markets served by the airline.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, Tony Douglas, said: "The global focus on the environment and the urgency of reducing carbon emissions has never been greater. Etihad Aviation Group, together with its partners, is taking an active role in reducing the impact of aviation on the environment through initiatives ranging from optimised fuel management to sustainable financing practices."

Today's announcement came as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, an annual event in the capital of the UAE, where Etihad is headquartered.

Mr Douglas said the entire air transport industry, from airlines and suppliers to airspace providers, was responsible for helping to reduce aviation's emissions, and solutions needed to be holistic and coordinated, not isolated and sporadic.

"Airlines have attracted significant scrutiny in the global discussion of the environment, and our collective challenge as a fast-growing industry is to deliver meaningful initiatives which can quickly help to contain and reduce carbon emissions," he said.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the number of passenger journeys will more than double within 20 years, from 4.5 billion in 2019 to an estimated 9 billion by the late 2030s.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adds that international aviation will experience compound annual growth of 3.8 per cent to 2050, forecasting that traffic will reach 16.5 billion passenger kilometres, or 3.6 times 2015 volumes.

Recent sustainability initiatives taken by Etihad Aviation Group include:

• Continued induction of the latest-generation, most fuel-efficient aircraft, including additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and plans for three new types - the wide-bodied Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9, and narrow-bodied Airbus A321neo. The next Dreamliner is due to arrive next week;
• Commencement of the Etihad Greenliner Programme, in which the airline's entire fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft will be used during normal scheduled flights as 'test beds' for sustainable products and practices;
• Becoming the first airline to secure commercial funding conditional upon compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. In partnership with First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Global Markets, Etihad recently secured 150 million Euros to help finance the development of a multi-storey 'eco residence' for cabin crew living in Abu Dhabi. The airline is now exploring more opportunities for this style of funding;
• Commitment to reduce single use plastics by 80 per cent by 2022, and;
• Partnering in the development of sustainable aviation fuels including biofuel developed and refined in Abu Dhabi from saltwater-tolerant plants, and commitment to support the development of another sustainable jet fuel from municipal waste in Abu Dhabi.

• 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030
• Alignment with the 2050 carbon neutrality commitment made by France as part of the Paris Climate Agreement
• Commitments to boost the circular economy and preserve natural environments

The VINCI Group is mobilizing all its business divisions to define an ambitious environmental strategy.

2019 was devoted to identifying actions likely to improve the Group's environmental performance in three areas: greenhouse gas emissions, resource preservation by developing the circular economy and conservation of natural environments. This strategy mobilised all of VINCI's operational entities. The factors of progress and transformative investments identified make it possible to:
- define a trajectory aimed at reaching carbon neutrality in 2050, with a first milestone of a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2018, as concerns direct impacts. This ambitious target is compatible with a trajectory for maintaining the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees maximum by the end of the century.
- systematically roll out the recycling and reuse policy, working on both materials supply and demand for each activity stream.
- adopt a "zero net loss" of biodiversity target in the framework of the "Avoid, Reduce, Offset" approach.
- strive to improve the indirect carbon footprint generated by the activities of suppliers, partners and customers.

For VINCI's own activities, implementing this shared ambition will involve an investment programme amounting to several hundreds of millions of euros, through actions such as:

Vehicles and site machinery
- Accelerated replacement of light and utility vehicle fleets by electric or less carbon-intensive vehicles
- Experimentation with hydrogen and biogas-type fuels for utility vehicles
- Replacement of part of the site machinery fleet by hybrid machinery, promotion of eco-driving practices and installation of continuous consumption-tracking sensors

Buildings
- Conduct of diagnostic studies on the Group's operational buildings inventory with a view to introducing energy efficiency actions: renovation, LED relamping, temperature regulation
- Anticipation of regulations through the eco-design of buildings approaches
- Development of high energy and environmental performance worksite facilities, notably timber-based

Energy transformation
- Replacement of heavy fuel oil and coal by natural gas or renewable-source gas in asphalt-mixing plants
- Replacement of the fossil energy used in binder storage facilities by electricity
- Installation of photovoltaic power plants for electricity self-consumption in airports

Preservation of natural environments
- Replacement of plant protection products by mechanical or powered weed-cutters
- Tracking of water consumption through across-the-board installation of individual meters
- Development of earthworks techniques that reduce the quantity of water required to sprinkle vehicle tracks by 40%

Furthermore, to enable alignment with the 2 degree trajectory of maintaining the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees maximum defined by the Paris Climate Agreement, VINCI is engaged in research and development actions and scientific and technological partnerships, notably with ParisTech. The Group's innovation policy focuses primarily on the environment, acting through the Group's business activities and Leonard, the Groups'foresight and innovation platform, notably through intrapreneurship and start-up nurturing programmes.

Over and above the action plans developed for each of its own activity streams, VINCI also undertakes to work on improving the indirect carbon footprint generated by the activities of its suppliers, partners and customers.

- VINCI Autoroutes, for instance, is leading a "Low-carbon motorway" project, which consists of massive decarbonation of each km travelled through solutions linked to reduction of vehicle emissions (electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, etc.), practices (densification of road mobility: carpooling, buses, etc.) and coordination of transport modes (development of intermodality and the infrastructure facilitating it).

- Again in the concessions business, VINCI Airports is engaged in deploying the environmental policy AirPact on all the airports in its network, which, above and beyond reduction of its direct environmental impacts (halving of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, zero use of plant-protection products and zero waste to landfill), involves proactive actions to optimise the impact of its clients' activity.

In the construction sector, VINCI entities have also initiated many different approaches:
- experimental initiatives upstream of the future environmental regulation concerning buildings (Energy Positive and Carbon Reduction - E+C-)
- recourse to very low-carbon concretes and decarbonated recycled materials
- development of innovative environmental solutions, such as:
· the "100% recycled road" patented by Eurovia;
· Power Road®, an innovation that captures solar energy, stores it underground and reuses it to de-ice the road network or supply heat to buildings located in the vicinity;
· Oxygen®, developed by VINCI Construction France, an eco-engagement providing a performance and assistance guarantee for building users;
· Hub Energy, an energy-tracking tool applying know-how (energy diagnostics and audits, monitoring, optimisation, etc.) in energy performance contracts.

As part of the deployment of its environmental ambitions, VINCI commits to communicating every six months on the progress made in its action plan.

"With the deployment of its new environmental ambitions, VINCI today commits to developing concrete solutions that help improve the living environment to serve inhabitants, while also reducing the impact of its own activities. It is our responsibility as a leading economic actor and it is also a guarantee of the continued survival and acceptability of our business activities", said Isabelle Spiegel, Environment director for VINCI.

Air transport creates essential conditions for Sweden's competitiveness, growth and prosperity. It links the country together and links Sweden to the rest of the world. As the owner of Sweden's national basic infrastructure of airports - with Stockholm Arlanda as the hub - Swedavia is responsible for ensuring that the airports are properly designed with the right capacity for future needs but also for driving the work to bring about fossil-free travel in Sweden by 2045. In order for Arlanda to handle future travel volumes as well as the transition to fossil-free flights, a third parallel runway needs to be in place by around 2035. But preparing for and building a runway takes a long time and requires major investments. The preparatory work has begun, and a national pooling of resources is now required for the necessary transformation of air transport and the equally necessary long-term development of Arlanda as a critical component of Sweden's transport infrastructure.

Good access both within Sweden and to the rest of the world is an essential condition for Sweden's growth, prosperity and sustainability. It is therefore crucial for all of Sweden's development that Stockholm Arlanda is given conditions to develop into an attractive, well-functioning airport. Swedavia works to ensure that Arlanda will be the leading airport in the Nordic region. That means Arlanda will be a safe, smooth airport with rapid flows and direct routes to attractive destinations. It will also be a pioneer and role model in sustainability and the travel of the future.

There has long been discussion about how many runways Stockholm Arlanda needs. Today there are three runways - two parallel ones that determine the airport's capacity and a third, crossing runway that does not contribute to capacity but creates some redundancy and reduces noise load. After many years of growth, passenger volume has fallen over the past year. However, Swedavia's long-term forecasts, which are based on the assumption that the transition to fossil-free air transport will be carried out, indicate an increase from 26 million passengers a year today to 40 million in 2040. In that case, a third parallel runway must be completed by around 2035. Otherwise, there will be a lack of capacity that will affect the competitiveness and prosperity of all Sweden. But the question of a third parallel runway is complex. It may therefore be appropriate here to highlight a number of factors concerning runway capacity in general and Arlanda's conditions in particular.

It is sometimes emphasised in the debate that other airports handle more passengers than Stockholm Arlanda with the same number of parallel runways. This can be interpreted as meaning that what is needed is more efficient traffic at Arlanda, rather than an additional runway. Such an analysis ignores the fact that every airport has unique conditions in terms of function, geography, local weather conditions, air transport market and traffic patterns, and these affect the need for runway capacity. In Arlanda's case, there are a number of factors that make it necessary to have higher runway capacity than at some other airports in Europe. One such factor is that the airport's traffic pattern has a clear peak structure, which means that most departures and arrivals are concentrated within a few hours during the morning and evening. The traffic pattern is determined by what times of the day most people need to fly. Some have to make it in time to meetings in other parts of Sweden or elsewhere in Europe, while others need to catch connecting flights from other airports elsewhere in the world. There is thus limited potential to redirect traffic to other times of the day. Another factor that determines the need for a third parallel runway is that Arlanda needs to handle both fast jet planes and slow propeller aircraft. This mix of fast and slow aircraft makes the airport less efficient than an airport served by a more uniform fleet of aircraft. At many of the largest international airports, traffic is spread evenly over the traffic day and consists almost solely of jet planes, since smaller, slower aircraft serving domestic routes often operate at nearby airports.

The trend towards electric-powered aircraft will also lead to a more varied fleet of aircraft. The first commercial electric aircraft will be much smaller than the aircraft today that run on fossil fuel and will primarily be used for shorter routes. Electric aircraft flying shorter distances will coexist with jet planes that run on biofuel and fly longer distances. It is absolutely essential to develop solutions and infrastructure that are adapted to the fossil-free aviation of the future in order to make the transition to sustainable air transport. Runway capacity is important in this context.

There is great uncertainty as to exactly when another runway needs to be completed. This depends on the passenger volume trend, which in turn depends on how the transition to fossil-free air transport progresses based on the industry's road map. What we know for certain is that, given the traffic situation today, it would be impossible to handle the traffic from Bromma Stockholm Airport using Stockholm Arlanda' s existing runways without this having a negative impact on access.

Swedavia works to make Stockholm Arlanda a modern airport that contributes to growth and prosperity for all of Sweden. At the same time, we carry out world-leading work to reduce emissions from the airport. It is high time that we prioritise the investments that both increase Arlanda's capacity and prepare the airport for the fossil-free air transport of tomorrow. Swedavia's best estimate at present is that a third parallel runway needs to be in place by around 2035. For this to be possible, planning and preparations for the long and vital process for a new environmental permit have begun. A national pooling of resources for the necessary transition to fossil-free air transport by 2045 and for the necessary long-term development of Sweden's critical infrastructure is both desirable and needed. We are thus calling for conditions that have solid political backing for the continued work to make Arlanda the leading airport in the Nordic region. In this context, explicit, broad political support for a third parallel runway would be particularly welcome.

Schiphol Group commits to implement nitrogen reduction measures on advice from Remkes Committee

Royal Schiphol Group stated (15-Jan-2020) it has acknowledged the "workable advice" from the Remkes Committee advisory council on nitrogen reduction. "Schiphol is aware of its responsibility and, together with the sector and in line with the advice of the Remkes Committee, wants to make an effort to realise the necessary measures", the group continued.

Measures include electrification of ground vehicles, including public transport and aircraft taxiing vehicles, encouraging airlines to operate cleaner and quieter aircraft through fleet renewal and internal and external carbon offsetting where possible as part of efforts to reach zero net emissions by 2030.

Original report: Duidelijk en werkbaar advies van Commissie-Remkes

Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur details net-zero emissions 2030 strategy

Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur presented (15-Jan-2020) its plan to achieve net-zero emissions across its airport network by 2030. Details include:

• Saint Tropez La Mole Airport will achieve the target in 2020 through further reductions in emissions and the installation of carbon sinks enabling it to absorb residual emissions. From 2022, the airport will become a net absorber of 2.5 tonnes of CO2 p/a to 21 tonnes p/a by 2034;
• Cannes Mandelieu Airport will follow the same trajectory with five emission reduction stages until 2030 when it reaches zero net emissions, followed by becoming a net absorber of 14 tonnes of CO2 p/a from 2034;
• Nice Cote d'Azur Airport will reduce its CO2 emissions by 83% in 2020 with the electrification of its ground service vehicles, supporting sustainable aviation fuels, financing tram connections between Nice and the airport and enforcement of ground handling procedures such as single-engine taxiing. The phase-out of LPG powered buildings and replacement with photovoltaic surfaces will enable the airport to achieve its objective of no longer emitting greenhouse gases in 2030, and become an absorber of CO2 with the development of carbon sinks.

Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur chairman Dominique Thillaud commented: "Our strategic plan is to reconcile economic logic and environmental logic. There is a way to bring these two logics together, which we are taking. We want to be a pioneer in order to demonstrate to the industry that it is possible" (La Tribune, 15-Jan-2020).

Original report: AÉROPORTS DE LA CÔTE D'AZUR DÉVOILE SON PROGRAMME POUR PARVENIR EN SEULEMENT 10 ANS, À NE PLUS ÉMETT

Dortmund Airport website now CO2 neutral

Dortmund Airport joined (15-Jan-2020) the 'CO2 neutral website' programme as of the beginning of 2020. CO2 emissions caused by the operation of the website and its electricity consumption are now compensated for through financial participation in verified climate projects. More than 2500 companies worldwide have joined the programme.

The airport has achieved an 85% reduction in emissions compared to 2010 levels, and reiterated its plans to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Original report: Flughafen-Website ist CO2-neutral

Tourism New Zealand: 93% of New Zealanders agree international tourism is good

Tourism New Zealand revealed (16-Jan-2020) the following highlights from 'The Mood of the Nation' research, conducted by Kantar TNS on behalf of Tourism New Zealand and Tourism Industry Aotearoa:

• 93% of New Zealanders agree international tourism is good for New Zealand;
• 39% believe pressure on infrastructure remains a top priority;
• 22% of New Zealanders issue concern about impacts on the environment;
• 13% are concerned about traffic and congestion;
• 13% issue concern with overcrowding of national parks and great walks

Original report: Kiwis agree - tourism and its benefit to communities continue to be good for New Zealand

UK Health secretary Matt Hancock: 'We shouldn't be flying less' (BBC news report)

Aviation Environment Federation: 'No justification for cutting APD to save Flybe'

Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) responded (14-Jan-2020) to reports the UK Government is considering cutting air passenger duty (APD) on all domestic flights in order to save Flybe from having to cease operations. AEF deputy director Cait Hewitt said: "With aviation growth posing a threat to the UK's ability to meet its net zero climate target, there can be no justification for a tax cut designed to boost sales by a failing airline.

The only way the proposed APD cut could save Flybe would be by attracting new customers - encouraging people to make trips they wouldn't otherwise have made, or incentivising them to switch from rail or coach options and onto aircraft - moving us even further away from delivering the sustainable transport policy the Government says it's committed to"