Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 28-Jan-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.

Boeing to ensure all aircraft can use 100% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030

Boeing committed (22-Jan-2021) to ensure all its commercial aircraft are capable and certified to use 100% sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) by 2030.

The company will work with regulators, engine companies and other key stakeholders to achieve the goal. Under existing regulations, aircraft may use a blend of up to 50% SAF and 50% conventional jet fuel.

Boeing stated aircraft will need the capability to use 100% SAF "well before 2050" in order to meet the aviation industry's goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2050.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal stated: "Sustainable aviation fuels are the safest and most measurable solution to reduce aviation carbon emissions in the coming decades".

Chief sustainability officer Chris Raymond added SAFs "have the most immediate and greatest potential to reduce carbon emissions in the near and long term". [more - original PR]

Original report: Boeing Commits to Deliver Commercial Airplanes Ready to Fly on 100% Sustainable Fuels

KLM renames corporate biofuel programme to underline sustainability, enhance intl awareness

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines renamed (26-Jan-2021) its corporate biofuel programme the KLM Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Programme.

KLM has opted for the new name to underline that the fuel it buys is manufactured sustainably.

This new name will also mark the start of an initiative to bring the programme to the attention of businesses outside the Netherlands.

Original report: KLM remains committed to sustainable aviation fuel with KLM Corporate SAF Programme

KLM's Corporate BioFuel Programme has been renamed the KLM Corporate SAF Programme. SAF stands for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. KLM has opted for this new name to make it clear that the fuel it buys is manufactured sustainably, using raw materials that do not cause deforestation, impede food production or harm the environment in any other way. This new name will also mark the start of an initiative to bring the programme to the attention of businesses outside the Netherlands.

"Sustainable Aviation Fuel is not necessarily the same as biofuel. The fact that something is made from organic raw materials, does not necessarily imply that it is sustainable. This led to some confusion," explains Karel Bockstael, vice president of Sustainability at KLM. "For KLM, the term SAF better describes the alternative we use instead of fossil fuel. The fuel we use is truly sustainable and does not lead to deforestation or replace food production. SAF also includes alternative fuels that are, for instance, made of CO2, renewable energy and water, better known as 'synthetic kerosene'. This field is undergoing strong development, which is why it is logical that we have decided to rename our corporate programme."

Sixteen members
The KLM Corporate SAF Programme was launched in 2012 and now includes sixteen partners, including ABN AMRO, Royal Schiphol Group and Arcadis. These businesses and institutions help KLM finance the purchase of SAF, thereby reducing the CO2 footprint of their business travel by air. SAF can reduce CO2 emissions by 85% compared to fossil kerosene, but because it is in short supply and expensive to produce, it is three times more expensive. The SAF purchased by KLM is mixed with fossil fuel and pumped into the refuelling systems at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and in Los Angeles. The SAF is produced and supplied locally at both locations. The total amount of SAF used by KLM in 2019 amounted to less than 1% of all fuel used by KLM.

"That's less than we would like, of course. We will need to use a lot more of this fuel to substantially reduce CO2 emissions," explains Harm Kreulen, director of KLM Benelux. "That is why we will continue to bring the KLM Corporate SAF Programme to the attention of our customers, specifically in this time of crisis. This is the ideal moment for KLM to pursue its ambition to become even more sustainable. The drastic reduction of our CO2 footprint, with the aid of fleet modernisation, improved operational efficiency and SAF, plays an essential part in this ambition."

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme
Since the start of the year, our cargo customers can also support the development and production of SAF thanks to the new Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme. The first customers to join this programme was Kühne+Nagel, who have agreed to invest in SAF for all cargo kilometres traversed by their shipments on the Los Angeles-Amsterdam route.

"Fly Responsibly"
The KLM Corporate SAF Programme is perfectly in step with the "Fly Responsibly" initiative that KLM launched in 2019, with a view to leading the way towards a more sustainable future for air transport. KLM is striving to achieve this, among other things, by making all its products and processes more sustainable today and in the future. However, real progress can only be achieved if the entire industry gets involved. A key aspect of KLM's "Fly Responsibly" initiative is to invite passengers to make use of its CO2ZERO CO2 compensation programme, but also to invite businesses to join the KLM Corporate SAF Programme and cargo customers to join the Air France KLM Martinair Cargo SAF Programme for their airfreight shipments. [more - original PR]

Lufthansa Group appoints new head of corporate responsibility

Lufthansa Group appointed (22-Jan-2021) Annette Mann as head of the newly established unit of corporate responsibility.

Ms Mann is responsible for the further development, management and implementation of a group wide sustainability programme, including measures for climate neutral flying, optimisation of the entire travel chain under the aspect of sustainability, group wide reporting on non-financial topics, and social commitment.

In her new role, Ms Mann has agreed to have Lufthansa Group participate in a new project to generate 'green hydrogen' in Abu Dhabi.

The representatives of the partners involved in this project have signed an MoU, which include the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Siemens Energy Global, Masdar and Marubeni Corporation, Khalifa University, Etihad Airways and Lufthansa Group.

Ms Mann stated: "We will integrate sustainability into the core of our business model and consistently develop new products and services for our customers that will make flight operations and the entire travel chain significantly more sustainable". [more - original PR]

Original report: Annette Mann heads Corporate Responsibility unit

Bordeaux Airport to invest EUR43m in operational continuity and environment from 2021 to 2023

Bordeaux Airport reported (20-Jan-2021) its 2021-2023 resilience and recovery plan will invest EUR43 million over the period, including EUR8 million on environment and sustainability.

In 2021, in addition to the need to ensure the operational continuity of the airport platform, the main objective will be to restore activities on a lasting basis, with the fundamental challenge being to support the economy and safeguard jobs.

The airport will also begin renovation of Hall B and a review of improvements to be made for its LCC terminal.

Work will also continue to accommodate the future intermodal station at the foot of Hall B, as well as the tracks for the tram, which is scheduled to arrive in 2022. [more - original PR]

Original report: Bordeaux Airport 2020 review and outlook for 2021

2020 has been marked by the health crisis, ending on unprecedented poor results for the aviation sector. As the time now comes to take stock, Bordeaux Airport totalled 2.3 million passengers this year, down 70.6% on 2019.Although the uncertainties and restrictions linked to the crisis have severely limited air traffic - in terms both of the number of routes and frequency of flights - efficient management has meant we were able to adapt airport strategy rapidly and implement several projects for our services, infrastructure and the environment.2021 will undoubtedly mark a turning point in the history of Bordeaux Airport. Our main priority is to boost aviation activities, while addressing the key challenges of safeguarding jobs and supporting the regional economy, and also respecting our commitments towards the environment and enhanced airport security.

Since 14 January 2021, Thierry Couloumiès, Administrative, Financial and Human Resources Director, has taken over as interim Chairman of the Management Board, which also includes the Commercial Development Director, Jean-Luc Poiroux, and Technical Operations Director, Stéphane Teulé-Gay.

The Supervisory Board of SA Bordeaux Mérignac Airport has confirmed the company's roadmap: strategic and operational priority will be given to restoring growth in traffic, safeguarding jobs and pursuing our sustainable development goals for the benefit of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. In the current context of economic uncertainty, the emphasis will also be on the relationship with the airport's customers and institutional partners.

The 2021-2023 Resilience and Recovery Plan aims to invest €43 million over the period, including €8 million on the environment.

Air traffic in 2020

With 2.3 million passengers in 2020, traffic at Bordeaux Airport was down by 70.6% on 2019, as a result of the health crisis and successive travel restrictions imposed since last March. The airport had no fewer than 56 days without any commercial passenger flights.

Quite logically, international traffic was hardest hit with a decline of 76.5% to 1,082,000 registered passengers. The major intercontinental hubs were severely affected by the crisis and performed poorly: Amsterdam (-67.4%), Barcelona (-85.2%), Lisbon (-73.4%), Madrid (-78.5%) and Zurich (-86%).
Flights to the four London airports served from Bordeaux, which had totalled more than 524,000 passengers last year, collapsed by almost 81% (101,000 passengers), despite the excellent news that British Airways was opening services to and from its Heathrow intercontinental hub from last summer.
Scheduled connections to Charleroi, Geneva, Basel, Marrakesh and Fez were the only destinations to post above-average results.
In addition, some tourist destinations such as Granada, Fuerteventura, Mykonos, Porto, Prague, Tenerife or Vienna, experienced a smaller decline.

Domestic flights were also affected, but to a lesser extent. With a decrease of "only" 61.9%, domestic traffic accounted for 1,171,000 passengers and moved back ahead of international traffic for the first time since 2016.
Paris was the airport's leading destination and ended the year on 400,150 passengers transported, down 67% on 2019. Of course, the impact of the shutdown of Air France's La Navette Paris-Orly shuttle service (566,000 passengers in 2019), a result of the aid granted to the national airline, and Air France's termination of its flights between Bordeaux and Lille, profoundly affected the traffic results of Bordeaux Airport.
The results for the main domestic routes, such as those of Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Strasbourg, were in line with the general trend, with decreases of between 53% and 66%. In addition, it is important to note that despite the situation, destinations such as Corsica were in higher demand last summer. The routes to the island (Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Figari) taken as a whole were down by only 30% compared to 2019.

After the end of the first lockdown last May, and again at the end of the year during the festive season, easing of the national guidelines allowed a certain level of activity to be restored. During the peak of these periods, almost 60% of the 2019 network of routes from Bordeaux was operated. It is an excellent result and proof that the airline companies were willing to reopen their lines as quickly as possible once the conditions allowed.

EasyJet become the airport's leading airline in terms of passenger numbers (740,000), followed by Air France/KLM (682,000), Ryanair (400,000) and Volotea (194,000). Among the scheduled airlines, Air Arabia held up the best, with its traffic dropping by only 38%, followed by KLM with its route to its Amsterdam "hub" (-62%) and Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca (-63%).

In view of the above, traffic at Bordeaux Airport became largely "low cost" in 2020. The low-cost airlines accounted for 62% of the airport's overall traffic.

In terms of aircraft movements, the results were in line with the traffic figures. In 2020, 23,318 commercial aircraft movements were recorded at Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, a decrease of 65.1%, from 66,794 flights in 2019.
Nevertheless, as some business aviation operations made up for some of the shortfall in scheduled services and, at the same time, industrial activity was relatively strong, the total number of aircraft movements was down by only 53.9%, or 38,840 flights against the total figure of 84,331 in 2019.

Flawless operational continuity

Despite this unprecedented crisis, Bordeaux Airport succeeded in adapting and putting all the necessary measures in place for the safety of its passengers and staff, as well as ensuring the continuity of its activity when the period allowed. The airport remained fully operational at all times, even during periods of lockdown, thus allowing uninterrupted cargo and express freight activity, as well as medical flights on several occasions.
Freight activity for the year was down slightly (-19.9%) with 20,142 tonnes transported, compared to 25,144 in 2019.

A "continuity plan" was triggered during the first lockdown period in March. As a result, employees who did not have an essential role on the airport site were able to work from home, and health measures to safeguard the safety of passengers and employees were put in place, including mandatory wearing of a face mask, installation of hand-sanitizer dispensers and signage to help with social distancing, enhanced cleaning of contact areas, reorganisation of the queuing system, and the installation of plexiglass panels at information, check-in and boarding desks. These measures all helped to restore traffic outside the national lockdown periods.

In partnership with the Regional Health Agency, Bordeaux University Hospital and the Civil Protection teams, the airport set up a PCR screening centre within its terminal from July for all travellers arriving and departing. This centre has made a significant contribution to the airport's activity, allowing travellers to obtain a PCR test prior to their journey to the destinations where it was required. As of the beginning of this year, this screening centre is still active in Hall A.

Projects central to our strategy

In 2020, despite the context, Bordeaux Airport continued to work on a number of projects.

Hall A

Work on the future international hub resumed quickly and is now in its final phase. Named "Satellite 3", it will become our first high-environmental-quality facility and will be delivered by mid-2021. The renovation and extension of the Alpha aircraft parking area which is adjacent to it has been completed.

Security
In addition to work on the infrastructure, there are also many projects in security. The "Parafe" biometric recognition equipment at border checkpoints - also aimed at creating a smoother passenger experience - has been operational since the summer. The full renovation of the airport's video-protection and runway-side surveillance systems and equipment also began in 2020.

The environment
With the renewal of ISO 9001 certification for quality and customer satisfaction, the award of ISO 14001 certification for environmental management at the end of 2020, a variety of studies and surveys, the start of work on planting vegetation in the car parks, the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles and further deployment of systems that are less energy intensive, much was done in the course of the year on biodiversity and the energy transition.
Particular attention was paid to the municipalities bordering the airport, in meetings to draw up the General Composition Scheme which is scheduled for completion in 2021 and of the Advisory Committee on the Environment, and also through a new system for monitoring aircraft trajectories and noise levels, with transcription on the airport's website (bordeaux.aeroport.fr).

Resilience and Recovery Plan 2021-2023

In 2021, in addition to the need to ensure the operational continuity of the airport platform, the main objective will be to restore activities on a lasting basis, with the fundamental challenge being to support the economy and safeguard jobs. This will be managed in accordance with our commitments to the environment and enhanced airport security.

Hall B
Work will begin this year to replace the monumental facades of Hall B on the city side. In addition to making the necessary technical and safety-related changes to this architectural design dating from 1996, the work will also enhance energy performance, while retaining its aesthetic features.

billi terminal
Even though the final phase of the terminal's initial transformation program had to be suspended, reflection is underway on how to improve the operating conditions of the "billi" low-cost terminal and adapt it to social distancing requirements, while also allowing six flights to be managed simultaneously. In order to do so, the capacity of the pre-boarding rooms will be extended.

Intermodal access
Starting in January 2021, work will continue to accommodate the future intermodal station at the foot of Hall B, as well as the tracks for the tram, which is scheduled to arrive in 2022, and the commissioning of the Technobus service in its definitive form. These developments will concern the new exit lanes of the P0 car park, the access lanes to the South-West Civil Aviation Authority building and the necessary redevelopment of the forecourt.

EUROCONTROL: CO2 emissions from flights down almost 57% in 2020

EUROCONTROL reported (26-Jan-2021) CO2 emissions caused by flights in departing from airports in Europe declined 56.9% year-on-year in 2020. The decline was slightly larger than the overall decline in departures of 54.5%. [more - original PR]

Original report: EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot on CO2 emissions from flights in 2020

Our second EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot looks at the decline of CO2 emissions caused by flights in 2020 and the considerable variation between States.

Travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to much-reduced CO₂ emissions from flights across Europe in 2020, down 56.9% on 2019. Following global standards, all CO₂ emissions from a flight are assigned to the country of departure. These departing flights declined by a similar amount to CO₂: 54.5% compared to 2019 overall.

Our data shows that there was considerable variation between countries in their CO₂ reductions, driven by differences in the local fleet, flight distances, mix of market segments, and by the extent of the COVID-19 decline in flights.