Sustainable Flying

The short answer is no, sustainable air travel is not possible. It is best not to fly to be
truly sustainable. The long answer is that there are certainly ways to ensure that your
flight has way less of an impact. Such as the choice of airline, seat, route, and CO2
compensation. And, of course, occasionally flying a little less would not hurt either. In
Europe you can travel sustainable by using the train, especially in The Netherlands
since their trains are powered by green / sustainable wind energy. In the long term
(within 50 years), more sustainable flying may be possible.
While airlines have been slow to make net zero commitments – the industry is heavily
reliant on fossil fuels, and technologies to decarbonize flying are a long way from
scaling – some are starting to come out with pledges.
But to critics, it was another attempt to make sustainable aviation seem a lot closer
than it is in reality and give the impression people can fly guilt-free. The global supply
of SAF remains very limited and there are big obstacles to scaling it up. Yet despite
these challenges, United Airlines is pursuing a growth strategy which includes
increasing flight numbers, adding new routes and investing in supersonic aviation.
On 1 December, a United Airlines passenger plane flew from Chicago to Washington
powered solely by fuel made from cooking oils, agricultural waste and other materials
rather than fossil fuels.
Billed by the airline as the world’s first fully-loaded passenger flight to run on 100%
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), it was United’s latest attempt to demonstrate its
climate credentials. United’s CEO Scott Kirby called it “a significant milestone” for
efforts to decarbonize the industry.

The Aviation Carbon Exchange – or ACE – is a platform that serves as a centralized

marketplace for emission units eligible for the carbon offset and reduction scheme for
international aviation (CORSIA) so airlines can meet their mandatory and voluntary
offset commitments. Since it was launched in November 2019, the ACE has provided
airlines with a secure access to real-time carbon offset data, with full price
transparency.  We’ve now completed the technical integration of the ICH settlement
functionality with the ACE which is a significant milestone to make financial carbon
offset transactions seamless, safe and timely for years to come.

The ACE makes it easier for airlines to meet their obligations under CORSIA, which is an
international agreement designed to ensure growth in airline emissions above a 2019
baseline is carbon neutral.

Waypoint 2050 is a blueprint for aviation’s sustainable future in line with the Paris
Agreement on climate change which limits global warming to well below two degrees
compared with pre-industrial levels.
It confirms the pathways to reduce CO2 emissions through technology, operational
efficiencies, better use of infrastructure and sustainable aviation fuels.

The 2009 commitment had three clear goals - to increase fuel efficiency by 1.5% every
year between 2010-20, cap carbon emissions (carbon neutral growth) from 2020, and
achieve the 50% emissions reduction by the middle of the century.

To get there required work across distinct pillars of action –

 technology;
 sustainable aviation fuel;
 more efficient flight operations;
 infrastructure improvements on the ground; and
 carbon offsets, also known as a market-based mechanism, to achieve carbon
neutral growth from 2020.

So far, so successful. Annual fuel efficiency gains have exceeded expectations with
yearly improvements of better than 2%. The mechanism for ensuring carbon neutral
growth, known as CORSIA, started as a pilot scheme in 2021 with almost 100 countries
participating and the rest due to come on board by 2027.