Aviation

Navigating its way to sustainability

Sustainable airport development, harnessing solar power and alternative energy, and adopting cleaner construction practices can start the journey for aviation companies

The resumption of international air travel following a slump during the pandemic signals a return to normalcy for the aviation industry. According to IATA, international air traffic in May 2022 rose 325.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. Middle Eastern airline traffic also rose 317.2 per cent in May 2002 compared to May 2021. As aviation is set to recover in 2023, it has turned the spotlight on sustainability. Climate change has already driven increased scrutiny around transport infrastructure around the world. We are seeing a shift to EVs and other green technologies that use resources judiciously and minimise waste and discharge. The UAE especially has made great strides in sustainable mobility with affordable and accessible transport initiatives under development.

Meanwhile, there is a surge in investments in multi-modal transport networks within the aviation sector to create hubs and reduce congestion. Global aviation already generates around 2.1 per cent of carbon emissions, however IATA estimates that the demand for air passenger journeys in 2050 could exceed 10 billion, driving emissions up even further. A net-zero target by 2050 for the aviation industry means it has to buckle up and seriously assess its climate impact in the immediate future.

SETTING A ROADMAP

Decarbonisation is a key to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to a low carbon economy while reducing direct and indirect emissions can go a long way in meeting aviation sustainability goals. Earlier this year, the UAE announced ambitious plans to decarbonise the aviation sector.

A roadmap called ‘Power-to-Liquids’ drafted jointly by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the World Economic Forum (WEF) outlined the financial, economic and environmental benefits of bio fuels in decarbonising the country’s aviation industry. This is a tremendous step to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and aligns with the country’s economic diversification ambitions. Technology adoption in aviation can also help streamline passenger movement and reduce waiting times. Automated border control gates and smart logistics for baggage handling can improve aircraft turnaround time and deliver efficiency and convenience for passengers. Airlines are already investing in quieter and better designed aircraft to optimise their fleet.

Aziz Ghorbani, general manager, Delta World Charter

This, coupled with more efficient taxiing and flight path optimisation, can also contribute to a reduced carbon footprint. Meanwhile, leaner and greener construction in aviation is also critical to meet global aviation sustainability targets. Sustainable airport development, including harnessing solar power and alternative energy, as well as adopting cleaner construction practices, is where the future lies. Using local materials in the construction process, ensuring water conservation and waste reduction and hiring local talent can further reduce environmental impact.

Equally, building sustainable mobility that encourages behaviour change towards more sustainable travel can go a long way in minimising environmental impact. Offering sustainable alternatives to passengers, through enhanced route connectivity, purchasing carbon offsets, facilitating seamless e-check in, encouraging the use of public transport to get to the airport, and promoting sustainable food packaging, are a few ways to ensure better social and economic outcomes.

THE BEST WAY FORWARD

Sustainability has also become a key concern in the private aviation sector, which has been investing in better aircraft and avionic technology to transition to a cleaner business model. Many private charters have leaner and lower fleet utilisation than scheduled operators. Furthermore, the shift to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is rapidly becoming a reality. Operators are also offering competitive carbon offsets programmes that fund renewable energy projects and help save rainforests. Even though sceptics remain unconvinced that the aviation industry can be truly sustainable, new technology, policy, and behavioural change are manoeuvring the industry to a greener future.

Offering corporate clientele additional tools to meet their ESG goals by offsetting emissions and other carbon neutral programmes can ensure that the burden of responsibility is shared between operators and passengers in the future.

Alan’s Corner

Alan O’Neill Managing director of Kara, change consultant and speaker

Performance coaching 101

Performance coaching can improve team collaboration, lead to happier employees and identify areas for improvement – for employees and the overall business

Acompany acquired a new business and appointed one of its own senior executives to lead the new team. Let’s call him John. John had a tremendous track record of success a ter 16 years as CFO in the parent company.

He was keen to make an impact quite quickly, a ter all, his personal reputation depended on it. However, a ter eight months in the new role, the walls started to crumble in the new company. Sales went backwards, margin slipped and there was an exodus of key people.

Now I know acquisitions can be rife with disruption and uncertainty. A ter all, change is not easy. But because of the scale of the bad news, the board became very concerned. It became very clear to me in my ‘discovery’ that John was working on many of the right things to get the new business into shape.

From a pure commercial perspective, all of his initiatives were bang on. However, I felt that he completely missed the opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of the new teams. There were too many negative sentiments about his style of management, his complete lack of empathy and respect. This negative perception of John was impacting his ability to infl uence and get things done and therefore was having a massive e ect on the transition.

John was facing a catastrophic failure, which would have been a terrible shame for him and the business. To prevent that, I proposed that the company invest in John’s development and be given a performance coach to work with him one-to-one. A ter eight weeks, I saw visible improvements in John and in the new team. They started to pull together and the business stabilised.

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Performance coaching is a relatively new form of executive development. It is a professional and facilitated process where a qualifi ed person supports and challenges a coachee to improve performance. It helps the coachee to gain self-awareness, clarify goals, achieve development objectives and it unlocks their potential. It also supports coachees to change their attitude, their thinking and their perspectives.

The process usually starts with discovering the coachee’s current challenges. These are usually identifi ed with an emotional quotient survey (EQS). This is a well-researched and structured methodology – completed by the coachee themselves – that e ectively identifi es the gap between current and ideal thinking. Through a series of meetings, a coach will carefully and sensitively bring the learner on a path of behavioural change to improve performance.

EI VERSUS IQ

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is an o t overlooked competency that in its absence, can cause an executive untold career failure. It’s even said that most deals are 50 per cent emotion and 50 per cent economics. But far too o ten, emphasis is put on technical skills and industry knowledge as the be all and end all. EI is referred to as the ability to recognise, evaluate and regulate your own emotions, the emotions of those around you and of groups of people.

One of the key di erences between EI and IQ is that IQ will generally stay the same throughout a lifetime, but EI can change and be improved, especially when an individual works with a coach. Some people may still view IQ as a superior type of intelligence, but in fact IQ and EI complement each other. However, in the long run, EI trumps IQ.

The aforementioned case study shows how ‘John’ was brilliant technically, but blind to his own shortcomings in managing people.

In a modern world, that just won’t cut it anymore. To think that you can get on and succeed without an appropriate level of emotional intelligence is futile.

Things to know about executive performance coaching

Regulation: This is an unregulated industry and there are many former athletes, lawyers, business academics, and consultants putting themselves out there as professional coaches. Check that your coach is a professional and well experienced. Chemistry trumps accreditation: Although accreditation is important, what’s even more important is the need to ensure good chemistry between you and your coach. A ter all you’re likely to share some of your innermost and private thoughts and concerns with them. Coaching versus mentoring: A mentor advises the individual on what they think is the best course

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI) IS AN OFT OVERLOOKED COMPETENCY THAT IN ITS ABSENCE, CAN CAUSE AN EXECUTIVE UNTOLD CAREER FAILURE.

IT’S EVEN SAID THAT MOST DEALS ARE 50 PER CENT EMOTION AND 50 PER CENT ECONOMICS of action is. A coach will never tell the individual what to do as their style is to facilitate thinking but be non-directive. Honesty is key: As you work through the process, there may be times when the coach should challenge your thinking and/or behaviours. Be open to that.

THE LAST WORD

While there may still be a stigma attached to seeing a therapist, there isn’t for working with a coach. But there is a vast di erence between performance coaching and therapy.

The work of a therapist is almost exclusively focused on the past while performance coaching is always forward focused, dipping only temporarily into the past, for more clarity and understanding.

The case study outlined above is one such scenario where coaching proved to be an ideal intervention. But don’t see coaching just as a remedial thing for when things go wrong. In fact, many organisations now have a culture of engaging coaches to work with their senior and high-potential executives.