aviation

The company has partnered with UN environment to help clean up aviation

Reducing emissions from Europe’s aviation and shipping industries requires systemic change, rather than simply improving efficiency. That’s according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), which suggests a massive shift in innovation, consumer behaviour and the take up of more ambitious green technologies to power aircraft and cargo ships is crucial. The […]

  Qantas is the most emissions-intensive airline operating across the Pacific. That’s according to the International Council on Clean Transportation, which says the airline uses the two most fuel-intensive aircraft and carries the most empty seats of any transpacific airline. The group says for each kilometre Qantas transports a passenger across the Pacific, it uses […]

Shape-shifting metals could make planes lighter and more fuel-efficient. That’s according to researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Centre, who say ‘shape memory alloys’ could let parts of the plane assume slightly different shapes and positions depending on their temperature. The scientists say this could dispense with much of the motors, cables and equipment needed to […]

A consultation on the UK’s implementation of the agreed amendments to the Aviation EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) legislation has been launched. It follows the agreement reached between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council on the future of the aviation EU ETS earlier this year. That includes extending “to limit the scope […]

Making airport ground movements more efficient and introducing more biofuels to the aviation sector could help slash fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. That’s the verdict from a study by Ricardo Energy & Environment for the UK Government, which assesses the cost and impact of a number of potential clean measures for the air travel […]

Plans for controlling carbon emissions at Heathrow Airport’s runway expansion will be published by the 31st of July. That’s the UK Government’s response to a report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) regarding concerns over increased carbon emissions and air pollution as a result of Heathrow Airport’s runway expansion. The EAC asked the government to publish an assessment of air quality impacts […]

An electric plane has towed a glider into the sky for the first time. Siemens’ Extra 330LE aerobatic aircraft features a new type of electric motor, weighing just 50 kilograms and delivering a continuous output of about 260KW. This is roughly five times more than comparable electric drive systems. The nearly silent aerotow took a type LS8-neo glider up […]

The UK Government needs to decide on a carbon reduction plan before it makes a decision on Heathrow. Mary Creagh MP, Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Chair, said so in response to a letter from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling regarding the proposed runway expansion at the airport. In the letter, Mr Grayling says the UK does not yet have […]

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has written to Greg Clark over Heathrow expansion concerns. Chairman Lord Deben’s letter to the Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS) Secretary voices doubts as to whether the Department for Transport’s (DfT) business case for the third runway is in line with meeting the Fifth Carbon Budget and 2050 emissions targets. […]