Keywords
Citation
(2002), "A greener future for aviation", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774aab.022
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
A greener future for aviation
Keywords: Aircraft industry, Environment
In a report issued recently by the Air Travel Greener by Design Steering Group, Air Travel Greener by Design, A Technology Challenge, the UK's aviation industry details the challenges it faces and some of its recommendations for reducing the future impact of aviation on the environment.
Despite the aviation industry's background of demonstrable efficiency and environmental achievement, its major challenge is to sustain growth in a way that meets the needs of modern society and helps safeguard the environment for future generations. The industry recognised that it could not address this issue in isolation and established the Air Travel Greener by Design Steering Group. This thought to be the first time, anywhere in the world, that every part of the aviation industry has come together to find solutions to its future environmental impact.
Given the rate at which the civil air fleet is projected to grow, with new aircraft being introduced which are not optimal from an environmental standpoint, the questions raised in the Report need to be pursued as a matter of priority. The answers are needed in formulating future regulation, shaping design thinking and forward looking research & technology acquisition in the aircraft and engine industries.
Technology can make a substantial contribution to alleviating the environmental impact of air travel but there are serious obstacles in its path, mainly economical an commercial, which could delay its uptake by many years, perhaps many decades. A range of research, design study and technology demonstration needs to be pursued with commitment.
Further information, graphs, statistics and a full copy of the Greener by Design report can be obtained from SBAC's Public Relations Office.
Details available from: The Society of British Aerospace Companies Ltd (SBAC), Tel: +44 (0) 20 7227 1073; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7227 1076; E-mail: pippa@sbac.co.uk