Flights and stopovers to the challenge of decarbonisation

Offer a decisive contribution to the process decarbonization ongoing without compromising business development. the sector ofaviation, which by its nature is among those with a high impact on the environment, is engaged in the search for a difficult balance. According to theEuropean Environment Agencythe sector is responsible for approximately 2.5% of global CO2 emissions and 3.8% of the emissions in the EU. Compared to the beginning of the century, the emissions produced by the air system have grown by almost 130% and, continuing on this path, in 2050 they will increase from seven to ten times in the light of the expected development of traffic. A trend that will somehow have to be stopped.

In spring, the Advise and the European Parliament have reached an agreement in principle on a roadmap for the sector which aims to increase both the demand and the supply of sustainable fuelswhile ensuring a level playing field across the EU air transport market. Among the measures on which the two bodies have found convergence is the introduction of the obligation for aviation fuel suppliers to guarantee, starting from 2025, a minimum amount of Saf (sustainable aviation fuels), while from 2030 one must be guaranteed minimum share of synthetic fuelswith a progressive increase of both quotas until 2050, when the European Union aims to reach thezero climate impact. Everything should (the conditional is a must, given that we are still at the level of the proposal) be accompanied by precise rules that will be issued by the competent authorities that the Member States will have to designate to guarantee their application, as well as to establish the sanctions to be reserved to those who violate the regulations. The frame in which this plan is framed is the “Ready for 55%”as the guidelines have been entitled to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Great expectations are raised on the market by the prospect of replacing fossil fuels with SAF, which should make it possible to halve the polluting emissions produced by aircraft by 2050. bio-fuels which can be mixed safely with kerosene and which, during their life cycle, they emit up to 80% less of carbon compared to traditional kerosene. In short, we are not truly green, but a considerable step forward in the fight against pollution.

However, the road is far from easy and the obstacles – as often happens – are mainly of an economic nature. A study of Bain & Company highlight i costs of large-scale introduction of SAF. For example, an investment of 1,300 billion dollars for the production of sustainable fuel could satisfy only 20% of forecast demand by 2050. Hence the need, underlines the report, to also go through the fleet renewal, considering that older models are significantly more polluting than recent ones. This means investing in research, development and innovative technologies to have more fuel efficient aircraft.

In short, fuels are just one of the areas on which to act in order to considerably reduce the environmental impact of aviation.

According to Politecnico di Milano, the goal of decarbonising the sector by 2050 is not utopian, provided that technological developments make it possible to arrive at aircraft that burn significantly less fuel thanks to construction materials and aerodynamics and the use of innovative hydrogen and electric engines (which would have space in the short-haul segment). Looking to the future, a central role for analysts will in particular be covered by theelectric, an area in which the aviation sector could also benefit from the progress made in terms of batteries in the automotive sector. Among the issues to be resolved is that relating to the extra costs that the Community environmental regulations, much more severe than those of other areas of the world, impose on sector operators. According to an analysis by S&P Global Ratingsstronger carriers should be able to pass much of this burden on to travellers, while fundamentally weaker European airlines could face greater difficulties. Also on this point it will be necessary to find a balance between the needs posed by the energy transition and the priorities of the business, considering that without interventions the situation will only get worse.

Among the recommendations of Bain & Company there is also that of adapting land operations to handle the new challenges – in terms of security, logistics and delivery times – posed by new technologies. Otherwise the latter will not be usable and an important potential will be lost. Ultimately, as with other sectors engaged in the energy transition process, there is no single solution; the real challenge will rather be in the ability to combine the various options in the field, hoping for new answers from the evolution of cleantech (an expression that indicates the set of technologies, processes, goods and services designed to significantly reduce the environmental impact), which proceeds at a rapid pace.

The EU Commission: technologies are part of the green taxonomy

Not just machines and hardware. In the latest update relating to the interpretative FAQs of the green taxonomy (i.e. the classification of economic activities that can be defined as sustainable), the European Commission emphasized the contribution of technologies to foster ecological transition. Among the areas indicated by Brussels as eligible for the sustainability license are technological services for the electronic tollthe intelligent transport system platforms and the airport infrastructure.