Paris Air Show 2019: Cooperation to promote sustainability in aviation
Source: Airbus, 2019, photo by F. Lancelot/masterfilms
As part of the Paris Air Show 2019, a joint statement to drive the sustainability in aviation was released on 18 June, 2019.
The Chief Technology Officers of seven of the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers released a joint statement to demonstrate how they are collaborating and sharing approaches to drive the sustainability of aviation and reach the industry-wide ATAG targets. The statement signed by Airbus, The Boeing Company, Dassault Aviation, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce, Safran and UTC, propose a strategy composing of three technological elements to sustainable aviation – continued development of current aircraft and engine design and technology; commercialization of sustainable alternative aviation fuels; the development of new aircraft and propulsion technology.
“The statement shows a clear path for reducing carbon emissions of flying. I want to congratulate all the parties involved for their commitment to collaboration and the positive can-do attitude in front of the challenges that the industry is facing. Neste supports this initiative and looks forward to working with the aviation industry to meet the emission reduction targets”, said Sami Jauhiainen Neste’s Vice President of Business Development in Renewable Aviation.
I was invited to the event as Neste’s Technical Services Manager in Renewable Aviation along with other major oil producers to discuss and share my experience in sustainability in aviation. I was honored to participate in this event and share my knowledge on sustainable aviation fuels. The sustainable aviation fuel which Neste produces is an ASTM approved drop-in solution and has proven its technical capability in thousands of commercial flights. It is produced from renewable and sustainable raw materials, and can reduce up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions over its life-cycle compared to conventional jet fuel. In addition, SAF significantly reduces other emissions such as PM and SOx.
Currently, sustainable aviation fuel offers the only viable alternative to fossil liquid fuels for powering commercial aircraft. Neste is increasing renewable jet fuel production volumes significantly over the course of the next few years to meet the demand. Neste has announced that it is ramping up capacity to produce up to 100,000 tons per year total in the US and Europe. With the planned Singapore refinery expansion Neste will have the capacity to produce over 1 million tonnes of low-emission renewable jet fuel by 2022.
The aviation industry has set ambitious targets to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from air transportation, including carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and beyond, and a 50 percent reduction of net aviation carbon emissions by 2050. Aviation needs multiple solutions for greenhouse gas emission reduction. Sustainability in aviation calls for close cooperation between aviation stakeholders combined with a strong willingness to work collaboratively. This is why Neste is thrilled to see these kind of partnerships coming alive to accelerate and ensure the sustainable growth of the industry.
