Racing towards greener skies
The spotlight on sustainable aviation – and specifically, airspace modernisation and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – is stronger than ever.
Airlines airports, fuel providers and their wider investment and supply chains are racing to find cleaner, greener ways for people to travel by air. Organisations across the aviation, energy and financial sectors have made their pledges to ‘Jet Zero’ and are working collaboratively to develop solutions.
Find better solutions, faster
In the run-up to the start of COP28, we’ve seen the alignment of several significant moments.
Gulfstream swooped in to claim the world’s first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The private jet company’s US-UK flight on November 19 pipped Virgin Atlantic’s long-planned UK-US crossing on 28 November.
Virgin Atlantic now holds the crown as the first completely SAF-fuelled transatlantic flight by a major airline.
No matter who was first, the real prize is that both flights showcase SAF as a viable alternative to regular jet fuel – and together they amplify the need to find better solutions, faster.
Unlocking SAF?
In between the airspace race across the Atlantic and ahead of COP28 came a further key moment. On 24 November, more than 100 countries reached a critical international agreement on a framework to promote SAF globally at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s Third Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3).
This includes the visionary goal of increasing the industry’s worldwide use of SAF to reduce CO2 emissions by 5% by 2030 – a decision welcomed by the EU in sending “a powerful and unified signal to investors worldwide on the need to prioritise investment in cleaner energy for aviation.”
Industry response from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) seized this moment to send an urgent call to government for “the strongest possible” positive policies that “enable real progress” to unlock global SAF production.
Airspace modernisation and sustainability
Here in the UK, this renewed focus on sustainable aviation comes within the wider context of airspace modernisation. The CAA and DfT’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) is the “most significant transformation in airspace management in more than 70 years”.
The environment stands clear as one of the four core objectives of the AMS. The need to meet the demand for airspace being a key driver for change.
UK Government commitment to these private sector efforts has been promised and is being delivered, at least in part: Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural flight was part-funded by the Department for Transport, as one example. Nevertheless, the recent ambiguous political backtracking from green pledges – on both sides – leaves plenty of room for uncertainty, creating headwinds that could well hinder the drive towards sustainable aviation.
While critics argue that ‘no fly’ is the only true route to Jet Zero, it’s inconceivable that air travel will ever cease completely – and certainly not overnight. Work and leisure both mean that people will continue to want to fly.
The solution is to find lower carbon ways for them to do so and the key to truly unlocking this solution is public and private sector working together.
Effective communications sit at the very heart of this
Communications professionals working across aviation, energy and sustainability are steering a complex, controversial narrative and are challenged – rather than unified – by the increasingly polarising discourse.
Accuracy, accountability and transparency are the driving principles for clear communications that foster audience engagement across all manner of stakeholders: partners, investors, politicians, employees, and members of the public.
Cavendish has extensive experience working with airport and aviation clients on the opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Our unrivalled insight into the sector and the political agenda on aviation sets us apart. To find out how we can support your sector please contact us below:
