A new departure procedure for the A380 has been introduced at London Heathrow airport, in another example of industry players partnering to reduce emissions. The procedure was developed by Singapore Airlines (SIA), Airbus, Heathrow airport and NATS, the UK's air traffic control service provider, and should save 300kg of fuel per flight, equating to one metric tonne of CO2 emissions on a flight to Singapore.

The procedure, which also reduces NOx emissions, involves the flight crew using the maximum thrust setting, TOGA ('Take-off Go-Around'), during takeoff and switching to 'FLEX' mode at a height of 1,500ft, where the thrust will be automatically adapted to the actual take-off weight. The aircraft will then use flexible acceleration up to 4,000ft, before continuing its journey.

Captain Gerard Yeap, senior vice president flight operations, Singapore Airlines stated: “[This] co-operation goes to show what can be achieved when stakeholders share the same goal of reducing carbon emissions and fuel burn. We hope this partnership will serve as a model for airport operators and governments elsewhere in the world.”

Jane Dawes, operational noise and air quality manager at Heathrow, sees the A380 playing a major role in reducing emissions in the future. She said: “The Airbus A380 is already the most fuel efficient aircraft in commercial service, burning 17 per cent less fuel per passenger than other large aircraft. By 2020 one in ten flights at Heathrow could use A380s. It is important that we work constantly with our airlines to improve operating processes, and the introduction of these new departure procedures demonstrates our commitment to reducing emissions.”

jason.holland@ubmaviation.com

Qantas is to introduce energy-efficient tri-generation power at three of its Sydney facilities. Two power plants will be constructed by provider GridX to serve Qantas’ Sydney Jet Base, catering centre and domestic terminal. The construction of the plants will be the largest commercial tri-generation project in Australia, according to a Clean Energy Council estimate, and the first undertaken by an Australian airline. “We estimate that tri-generation in Sydney could account for more than 50 per cent of Qantas’ targeted reduction in electricity use, with the savings in emissions alone approximating 6,000 fewer cars on our roads per year,” said Qantas chief risk officer Rob Kella. By capturing heat that would otherwise be lost, tri-generation can achieve energy efficiencies of around 80 per cent, compared with an average of 35 per cent for a conventional supply of energy from the grid. Construction of the new facilities is expected to begin by mid-2010 and be complete by mid-2011.

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has published it 2009 environmental report. It says that efforts to reduce energy consumption have included setting up a new groundwater cooling plant, which will be able to “significantly reduce” the airport’s use of power in the terminals over the next four years. CPH is also working on reducing its power consumption by increasing use of LED lighting and daylight lighting control, which has cut power use by 400,000 kWh on an annual basis. CPH has set a target of reducing power consumption by 10 per cent by 2012 relative to 2007 and CO2 emissions by 21 per cent by 2012 relative to 1990. “In 2009, we conducted a survey together with air traffic control services Naviair and Eurocontrol to study how traffic operations at Copenhagen airport can help make climate gains,” said Erik Nielsen, environmental manager at CPH. “The survey showed that an annual fuel reduction of 10,000 tonnes and thus savings of 32,000 tonnes or more of CO2 emissions had been achieved at Copenhagen Airport through so-called ‘green take-offs’, in which the aircraft climb continuously to their optimal operating altitude and then turn into the planned route, which provides savings over the normal procedure.

Plans for the proposed new airport in London's Thames Estuary have been hit by chief engineer Douglas Oakervee’s withdrawal from planned talks about the project. Oakervee has cancelled his attendance to the meeting, planned for March 11, in which officials will discuss the feasibility of the airport. Oakervee has said he is not planning to reschedule the meeting. An airport in the Thames Estuary has been proposed as an alternative to expansion at Heathrow. Current plans feature a six-runway airport at a cost of GBP40bn. According to Medway Council in Kent, 90 per cent of airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, oppose the idea.

Royal Jordanian and the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project II (Siyaha II) have signed a MoU to co-operate in setting up an environmental management plan (EMP) for the airline. The plan will be compliant with relevant international and Jordanian environmental legislation and will help the airline to “identify, prevent, control and monitor adverse environmental impacts associated with its operations”. The four-month agreement covers two phases. In the first phase, Siyaha II will collect and analyse available data and information about the airline’s operations. Also, conditions on the ground at Royal Jordanian’s main facilities will be assessed. Phase II will then entail consultations with the airline, the Ministry of Environment, the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission and other relevant parties regarding the EMP and compliance requirements for Royal Jordanian.

A second large-scale solar power system at Denver International Airport (DIA) is now operational. The new 1.6 MW Sharp solar power array powers the airport’s fuel-storage and distribution facility. The photovoltaic system was financed and developed by MP2 Partners and Oak Leaf Partners, constructed by Quanta, and is comprised of approximately 7,400 solar panels. "This project will reduce energy costs for our airline and cargo business partners over the 20-year term of the power purchase agreement," said DIA aviation manager Kim Day.

The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has set out its vision for the Single European Sky (SES) programme at an EU High Level Conference in Madrid. Antonio Vazquez, CEO of Iberia and a member of the AEA supervisory board, says “there should no longer be any reasons to delay” the programme, and urged speedy progress. “The Single Sky means higher performance at lower cost – the airlines benefit, their customers benefit, the environment benefits and a key element for European competitiveness runs more smoothly – how can it be other than a great deal? And yet there is a downside: the length of time it is taking to realise the project,” he stated. Vazquez stressed the importance of the SES Performance Scheme, which is based on ambitious targets for safety, flight and cost efficiency, capacity and delays, and the reorganisation of a multitude of individual national and regional control areas into just nine ‘functional airspace blocks’. He added that the SESAR technical programme should be recognised as a key element of European transport infrastructure, eligible for public funding.

ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) is aiming to have a carbon dioxide standard for commercial aircraft ready in 2013. It also recommended new standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) that are up to 15 per cent more stringent than current levels. These NOx standards would be applicable to new aircraft engines certified after December 31, 2013, with a cut-off point of December 31, 2012 for engines produced under existing NOx standards. The suggested standards will now be reviewed by the ICAO Council.

Up to 100 million people could go hungry if European states commit to increases in biofuel consumption in order to meet EU targets, according to charity ActionAid. The EU wants at least 10 per cent of transport fuels to come from renewable sources within the next 10 years. ActionAid says the majority of the biofuels that will be used to meet these targets will come from developing countries, where production has already led to food shortages and deforestation. The increased use of biofuel will therefore drive up food prices, according to the charity. Report author Tim Rice stated: “Biofuels are driving a global human tragedy. Local food prices have already risen massively. As biofuel production gains pace, this can only accelerate. Poor people can spend as much as 80 per cent of their income on food. Even small increases in the price of staples such as maize and wheat mean that many more will become increasingly desperate.” The report calculates that if all global biofuel targets are met, food prices could rise by an additional 76 per cent by 2020, forcing an extra 600 million people into hunger.

The UK government is to invest GBP45m to support the research and development of more fuel-efficient, lower-carbon aero engines. The money will be used to fund new partnerships between Rolls-Royce and universities around the UK, according to business secretary Lord Mandelson. Research projects will be overseen by the Technology Strategy Board and include developing lighter fans that reduce fuel consumption simulation technology for virtual engineering, and new, affordable high temperature alloys to improve fuel efficiency.