UP UP AND AWAY: Airlines need to modernize the runway! By Caitlin Cotter Staff Writer According to the European Union, “if global aviation was a country, it would rank in the top 10 for greenhouse gas emissions.” Airlines have always been a major source of carbon emissions, and yet, the industry has grown exponentially each year as more and more people and goods take to the skies. Sustainability has never been at the forefront of airlines, considering the huge amounts of fuel used and the costs associated with improving the carbon footprint of aircrafts. Interestingly, the coronavirus pandemic has brought a halt to carbon emissions and temporary relief from fossil fuel usage and pollution. The current vulnerable state of the airline industry is perhaps the wake-up call needed for airlines to start taking sustainability seriously if they hope to survive the pandemic and the inevitable environmental impacts of climate change that will shift the way humans travel. There is an advantage for airlines who create COVID-19 recovery plans that take into account sustainability and climate change. Despite a general lack of airline sustainability, certain airlines were attempting to create sustainability plans before the pandemic hit. JetBlue was drafting a plan to become the first carbon-neutral carrier in the United States as of July 2020 and Delta Airlines was putting $1 billion towards becoming a global carbon neutral airline over the next 10 years. Other airlines had similar goals to reduce single-use plastics and waste. Momentum was starting to build around airlines and their environmental impact, especially due to increasing consumer sentiment surrounding sustainability. According to a survey done by McKinsey, a majority of younger airline customers are worried about climate change and are aware of an aircraft’s negative environmental impact. They would consider reducing flying or even paying for a carbon-neutral ticket, although there is already pressure on airlines to cover these costs themselves. Despite the growing pressure around improving airline sustainability, once coronavirus hit and started impacting airlines’ financial stability, any focus
on environmental management shifted to economically surviving the pandemic. COVID-19 brought a significant economic downtown for the airline industry. Airline passenger numbers dropped significantly, and it will be a long while before economic profit returns to pre-pandemic numbers. IATA analysis showed airline revenues this year will decrease by 55% from 2019, meaning billions of dollars of losses. Despite the burden of financial instability, the brief pause in how many aircrafts were taking off was environmentally beneficial. A major decrease in travel when the pandemic was in its beginning stages caused a decrease in fossil fuels and pollution. With the extreme decline in airline capacity and demand seen over the past few months, it is extremely unpredictable when airline operations and the number of passengers will return to pre-pandemic trends. Those that survive- most likely through government aid- will do so by prioritizing what the world will look like in the wake of the pandemic with even bigger issues on the horizon. It is very obvious at this point that this global pandemic is an extreme wakeup call highlighting the endless flaws in our society and industries. However, it is also one of the best and most timely opportunities to implement sustainable practices in these industries. Looking to the future, airlines can plan for sustainable fuels, carbon offsetting, and improving their fleets, among other tangible environmental actions. Airlines that do not include climate change in their risk plans could lead to a potential downfall. American Airlines has a risk plan that includes economics, data, debt, and trade unions, among other factors outside their control but only briefly mentions climate change as a contributing risk. As the world starts to move towards what it considers its new “normal,” airline usage has also ramped up and airlines are focused on how they can recover and maintain the industry. Sustainability is no longer a priority, even though industries were only just scratching the surface on tangible climate change action pre-pandemic. Priorities have shifted to industry survival and job security instead of carbon offsetting, pollution, and emission reduction. However, the im-
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