Engines
Technology
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production needs to be scaled up substantially to bring down its prices and increase its usage
GROWING RESOLVE to
GO GREEN
If the various emerging avenues the aero-engine industry is determinedly pursuing – such as allelectric, hybrid and hydrogen propulsion succeed, air travel could change beyond recognition in a few decades
PHOTOGRAPH: Air France-KLM
by Joseph Noronha
T
he commercial aviation industry, in general, and aero-engine manufacturers in particular, are a rather anxious lot nowadays. Their worry is not just because passenger numbers have plunged dramatically due to Covid-19 pandemic. After all, travellers will surely flock back to the ticketing counters once the pandemic subsides. The concern is more because of intensifying pressures from governments and international agencies to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. In 2019, the world’s airlines carried 4.5 billion passengers and emitted 915 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). While this
amounts to only two per cent of all human-induced CO2 emissions and 12 per cent of emissions from all transport sources, there is heightened concern on two counts. First, because aviation’s true environmental impact is probably much greater due to non-CO2 emissions such as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), soot and contrails produced at high altitude. Second, because aviation is projected to be one of the fastest-growing sources of CO2 emissions and therefore, is squarely in the crosshairs of environmentalists. The aviation industry knows it has significant capacity for expansion and utilisation of existing and emerging techniques to SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 3 • 2021
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