Sustainable Aviation Archives

The European Commission announced on Tuesday (23 February) that it will finance the development of new aircraft powered by clean fuel sources, in a bid to cut aviation emissions by 2050.

In the first edition of EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the European airline industry’s sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The aviation sector is facing the double challenge of coming up with alternative fuel solutions but …

The European airline industry has launched a sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050, a roadmap they say will align the notoriously carbon-intensive sector, currently suffering a huge pandemic-caused downturn, with EU climate goals.

The European Parliament approved a revamp of the EU's “use it or lose it” waiver for airport slot rules on Thursday (11 February), a measure first introduced in March 2020 to stop pandemic-hit airlines from flying almost empty planes to maintain access to ports.

Ministers from eight European countries have called on the European Commission to boost the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) by requiring them to be blended into kerosene, a move they say will drive down emissions in the sector.

Boeing Co has unveiled plans to deliver commercial aircraft capable of using 100% biofuel by 2030. Using existing technologies under current regulations, it can only use biofuel blends of up to 50%.

Shell has pulled out of a joint venture with British Airways and Velocys to build a flagship sustainable jet fuels plant in the UK – in a blow to Boris Johnson’s claims that Britain could deliver the world’s first zero-emission long-haul flight, reports EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian Environment.

Major airlines, including Easyjet, KLM and Air France, have joined with environmental NGOs to call for stricter policies on biofuels and reduce the aviation sector's environmental impact.

European aerospace giant Airbus revealed more details about its hydrogen aircraft project on Thursday (17 December), which could include a propeller-driven plane "unlike anything seen on today’s runways".

Aviation technology is due to reach new heights over the course of the next decade, as efficiency improvements, advancements in fuel development and even new forms of propulsion take to the skies. It could usher in a new age of flight.

Air travel is on the cusp of what could be a green revolution, as pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and new initiatives aimed at reducing clean power costs begin to capture attention.

The European Commission published new findings on Wednesday (11 November) that confirm aviation's non-CO2 climate impact is substantial, as the EU executive mulls how to regulate plane travel in the decades to come.

The Netherlands will impose an air passenger tax in 2021 and it decided on Friday (13 November) to hike the previously announced €7 charge per person to €7.45. Planned levies on cargo flights will be cancelled.

Boosting the use of greener jet-fuel is both a regulatory and an operational challenge. Airports, airlines and manufacturers have all shown interest in sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and are starting to use them more and more. Here are some of the success stories so far.

The European Commission will soon unveil its ‘ReFuelEU’ initiative, aimed at ratcheting up the amount of sustainable fuel used in aviation. The scheme is eagerly awaited as cheaper access to greener fuels could help reduce air travel’s carbon emissions.

Futuristic flight technologies like battery-power and hydrogen are on the radar but sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are an already-available option that should be utilised more, MEP Elsi Katainen told EURACTIV.

An EU initiative aimed at boosting the uptake of cleaner aviation fuels is set to launch at the end of 2020 and a new push by the European Commission to streamline tax policy might yet have a big impact on air travel’s carbon footprint.

Renewable energy company Ørsted and Copenhagen Airport are amongst the consortium of businesses aiming to develop a hydrogen and sustainable transport fuel facility in the heart of the Danish capital. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

A state aid request by Austrian Airlines could be an opportunity to make the carrier more sustainable. But climate conditioning bailouts was recently given short shrift by the EU's transport Commissioner, who is "undermining the Green Deal", according to Austria's Greens. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Alternative fuels are the long-term solution to reduce emissions from aviation, but incentives are needed to scale them up, an official from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) told EURACTIV.com.