The aviation industry in general and airports in particular are aligned in their fight against climate change, with positive results after more than ten years of work.
The reducing the environmental impact of aviation is an ongoing priority, especially since the beginning of this century. It has coincided with an increasingly prominent concern over the climate change and its effects. Billions of euros have been invested in research and development, which has subsequently been translated into measures and practices that have made significant progress in reducing the overall impact of this sector.
There is an underlying problem which is the steady increase in air transport around the world. The pace of growth means that the measures being taken by the sector are not sufficient and the overall balance, for the moment, is not as good as could be expected. For some, the key is to assess the value of the sector properly. the benefits of connectivity air compared to the impact it generates, but it is not enough.
Aviation produces about 2% of all CO2 induced by human activity around the world. Despite this, the perception of much of the population is that aviation is a disproportionately large contributor to climate change. The truth is that the entire air transport sector, from aircraft manufacturers to airlines, are aware and working on several fronts to minimise their impact on the environment.
This is done through a combination of new technologies, improvements in operational efficiency, new production systems, cleaner fuels, new aircraft with lighter materials, waste reduction and, in short, an all-encompassing process of continuous improvement aimed at moving towards "decarbonised" aviation.
There is no other way. This is a global problem and the entire industry, together with governments and regulators, have an obligation to come together to address this challenge without detriment to the economy, people, jobs or any other positive developmental factor originating from aviation as a whole. We must be aware that we all have to do our bit and this includes manufacturers, operators, airports, regulators, governments and even passengers themselves.
Among all the initiatives, it is imperative to highlight the implementation by ICA Europe (subsequently taken over by ICA World) with its sustainability strategy for airports. It aims to address the environmental, social and economic problems of airport environments by awarding them different levels of certification depending on the steps taken in their commitment to reach a zero carbon balance.
We must not lose sight of another of the sector's big bets, the project of Single European Sky (SESAR programme) where a new optimised structure of the European air network will increase capacity, reduce congestion, increase safety, optimise times and reduce emissions. This will be accompanied by unified airspace management and the use of technologies, which will be geared towards a horizon of automation. It is estimated that this initiative will involve emission reductions of CO2 by 8 million tonnes per year.
All that is done to increase the sustainability of the aviation sector worldwide will never be enough, but we are currently moving in the right direction and, more importantly, we are moving in the right direction, adding new challenges and making more commitments every day in the fight against climate change.
We have developed a infographics on this topic, which explains some of the initiatives being carried out at airports around the world to reduce their carbon footprint and to increase sustainability in each of the activities that depend on them. We invite you to analyse and comment on it, because any point of view adds to this global commitment.
