february2023 - 8

Editor's Note
JOSH SMITH
josh@AviationPros.com
+1 920-563-1644
LinkedIn
Fueling Greener Flights
and Ground Ops
Drop-in solutions for jet fuel and diesel fuel can help the industry meet
the lofty environmental journey that it has embarked on.
S
ustainable air travel has been a significant discussion
recently. Stakeholders across the industry are
focused on reducing their carbon footprint and
making the industry greener.
For example, in 2021, airlines pledged a commitment
to achieve net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by the
year 2050. Furthermore, during the 41st International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly last year, officials
adopted a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for
international aviation of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
in support of the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement's temperature
goal.
With the LTAG agreed to, individual governments can
now work toward the same decarbonization goals.
A key component to reaching this goal is utilizing sustainable
aviation fuel (SAF). SAF has garnered attention because
it's a drop-in replacement that meets all the requirements
for jet fuel. According to information released by IATA in
December, SAF is expected to account for 65 percent of the
mitigation needed to achieve net zero emissions.
Another key moment for SAF occurred in January as
Emirates operated a demonstration flight, powering one of
the engines on a Boeing 777-300ER 100 percent with SAF.
The flight took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB)
and flew for more than an hour.
" This flight is a milestone moment for Emirates and a
positive step for our industry as we work collectively to
address one of our biggest challenges - reducing our carbon
footprint. It has been a long journey to finally see this
experimental SAF flight take off. Such initiatives are critical
contributors not only to the industry body of knowledge, but
also to demonstrating the use of higher blends of SAF for
future regulatory approvals, " Emirates chief operating officer
Adel Al Redha said in a release following the flight.
8 || Ground Support Worldwide || February 2023
" We hope that landmark demonstration flights like this
one will help open the door to scale up the SAF supply chain
and make it more available and accessible across geographies,
and most importantly, affordable for broader industry
adoption in the future, " he added.
While the use of SAF continues to build momentum,
renewable fuel is having an impact on aviation's greener
future on the ground.
Earlier this year, it was announced that ground support
equipment (GSE) and other airport vehicles at Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands will be powered by
HVO100, a renewable diesel fuel produced by Neste from
100 percent renewable raw materials. Like SAF, HVO100 is
a drop-in fuel, which does not require any modifications to
existing vehicles or machines, energy systems or fuel distribution
infrastructures, officials noted.
According to airport figures, nearly 2,000 ground vehicles
with a diesel engine operate at Schiphol. Utilizing renewable
diesel fuel will reduce the emissions produced by
those vehicles.
" At the moment, 40 percent of the motorized equipment
at the airport runs on electricity. And that number will
increase over the coming years. However, for a number
of specialist heavy vehicles, it is a technical challenge to
develop a battery with sufficient capacity that can also be
charged quickly enough. Using Neste MY Renewable Diesel
is therefore a good solution currently, " said Paul Feldbrugge
of KLM Equipment Services (KES).
With the lofty decarbonization goals established by the
industry, it will take innovative solutions in the air and on
the ground to meet these objectives.
Has your company implemented a sustainability project
that has yielded positive results? Share your success story
with us. Contact me at josh@AviationPros.com. I welcome
your feedback on the topic.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-smith-9309557/
february2023

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