ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023 - 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Sustainable Future
of Aviation
A
fter the numerous
aviation events
in late spring and
summer, I hope
you were able
to enjoy some
summer holidays.
It was quite a busy travel season,
but the high passenger demand was
welcome despite the enormous pressure
it put on airline operations. Magnified
by this robust traffic, various challenges
from weather, labor shortages and
aircraft availability caused significant
delays and cancellations. I would bet
many, if not most of us, felt this in
some way. I certainly did, with several
disrupted itineraries.
This brings to mind the hurdles we
are facing in aviation with regard to
sustainability, especially given extreme
weather events, record heat waves and
persistent storm systems. It is difficult
to ignore how vulnerable airlines and,
by extension, many other aviation
stakeholders, are to Mother Nature.
The goal of net zero by 2050 is being adopted by
a growing number of stakeholders, and the necessity is
becoming increasingly clear. How this will impact the
financial stakeholders should be front and center.
Even with more advanced forecasting
and detection technologies developed
over the past decade, airlines can be
crippled by weather, costing billions
and adversely impacting tourism
and commerce.
2 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
Motivated by growing concerns,
ISTAT held its second Sustainability
Symposium during the Paris Air
Show in June, featuring a broad
cross-section of professionals who
are focused on the various ways to
reduce aviation's carbon footprint and
progress toward net zero by 2050.
Sustainable aviation fuels present
significant near-term opportunities,
so it was interesting to hear how
companies are seeking solutions
for feedstock, distribution and
industrialization. I came away thinking
about how collaboration among
regulators, government bodies, and
industrial and scientific communities
is critical to bring costs closer to
fossil fuels, which, in turn, should
drive scale to meet demand. Read a
full recap of the ISTAT Sustainability
Symposium starting on page 22.
Over the long term, disruptive
technologies being pursued today
could uncover new paths toward
net zero. New concepts in airframe
design have the potential to deliver
substantially better efficiency
and reduce fuel consumption.
Advanced propulsion systems could
include hybrid-electric, geared
architecture and/or open-rotor
designs. Alternative fuel sources
such as hydrogen would bring a
completely different set of challenges
in propulsion system design, supply
infrastructure and distribution,
requiring huge investment in research
and development, but they could
dramatically reduce aviation's
greenhouse gas emissions. Also,
let's not overlook airport community
noise, which continues to be a
concern. Any technological solutions
ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023
