Gallery: A Look At Aviation's Latest Sustainability Developments

Southwest Airlines plans to buy over 400,000 carbon credits from lessor SMBC Aviation Capital, making the Dallas-based carrier the launch customer for the program. Over a five-year timeframe, Southwest will use SMBC’s Gold Standard- and Verra-certified credits to cover CORSIA requirements and offset staff travel, including crew positioning on its own flights, as well as tickets donated to charity.
 

Lufthansa Aviation Training signed a letter of intent with Diamond Aircraft Austria to jointly explore sustainable flight training, including testing the eDA40 in a real training environment, with the goal of helping parent Lufthansa Group meet its commitment to cut net carbon emissions in half by 2030.

The cooperation includes an intent to purchase eDA40s to operate alongside its Diamond DA40 and DA42 piston-powered trainers.

Diamond plans to certify the eDA40 with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024. The trainer is expected to be the first EASA/FAA Part 23-certified electric aircraft. Pipistrel’s Velis Electro electric trainer was certified in 2020 under EASA’s CS-LSA for light sport aircraft.
 

Shell Aviation believes its Avelia book-and-claim blockchain solution will be one of the fastest ways to bring down the costs of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), saying it will not only contribute to the payment of SAF, but also stimulate long-term demand for governments and industry to build more SAF infrastructure. 

Avelia was launched at the IATA AGM in June 2022 and has attracted customers such as Accenture, AMEX Global Business Travel, and Cathay Pacific. It made its first blockchain transaction in October 2022. The blockchain technology ensures traceable links to the carbon offset that the company purchased from the airline.   
Doris Tan, head of Shell Aviation Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East, said the book-and-claim system can decouple geography and the short supply of SAF production in Asia Pacific, solving the issue of Asian airlines obtaining SAF in APAC airports to meet carbon neutrality goals. 

Tan said Shell recently signed a contract with a “big US IT company,” which will be brought into the Avelia eco-system. 
 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) set aside S$50 million ($37 million) to drive sustainability projects. Known as the Aviation Sustainability Program, it will see CAAS provide up to 70% funding for sector-wide projects and up to 50% funding for company-level projects. The regulator will support projects that drive the following objectives: catalyze sustainability initiatives to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint; develop new sustainability capabilities efforts to develop and test-bed new service offerings; support projects that develop a collaborative cross-sectoral aviation sustainability ecosystem.
 

Italian civil aviation authority ENAC secured a regulatory change, making it easier for airports to use their land for sustainable energy production. The new law simplifies the authorizations needed to install renewable energy plants at Italian airports, deeming them “suitable areas” for new facilities. However, ENAC will still make “necessary checks” before granting approvals. ENAC described the streamlined regulatory framework as “an important step forward for the decarbonization of airport infrastructure,” helping airports support their own energy needs.
 

More than 3,200 of United Airlines’ customers have contributed to the United Airlines Ventures (UAV) Sustainable Flight Fund. Speaking to members of the media March 1, executives said in addition to the financial contributions, over 100,000 customers have clicked through from the booking path to learn more about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and emissions, in the first week since launching the fund. The fund launched Feb. 21 with $100 million in investments and several partners.
 

Universal Hydrogen’s De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 flying testbed has become the largest hydrogen-electric aircraft to fly following a successful first flight from Moses Lake, Washington, on March 2.

Configured with a megawatt-scale hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system, the converted aircraft lifted off at 8.41 am Pacific and landed back after a 15-min flight. The flight, which was conducted from Moses Lake-based AeroTEC’s flight test center, was the first in a two-year flight test campaign expected to culminate in 2025 with entry into service of ATR 72 regional aircraft converted to run on hydrogen. 

Universal’s order book now totals 247 aircraft conversions from 16 customers. The company says this includes over $1 billion in conversions backlog and over $2 billion in fuel services over the first 10 years of operation.
 

American Airlines signed an MOU with Yield10 Bioscience to develop camelia as a low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Camelina is an annual oilseed plant that can be used as a cover crop in winter to slow erosion, retain moisture, improve the soil and control weeds and pests.

Under the agreement, American will work with agricultural biosciences company Yield10 to develop a “field to flight” value chain for camelina oil with the potential to secure offtake agreements for SAF produced using the oil. The companies also plan to work together to secure government grants to support the establishment of infrastructure to use camelia oil as a feedstock for SAF production.
 

LATAM Group completed its first international flight with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The flight was operated by LATAM Cargo Chile between the Zaragoza airport and North America, in line with the Group's commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. 
 

A new 225,000 sq. ft. (21,000 sq. m.) terminal at Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) will be developed as a net-zero facility, in partnership with Porter Aviation Holdings (PAHI).

The YHU passenger terminal complex will be a fully electric facility, connected to the Québec electrical grid powered by hydroelectric and wind energy sources, according to Porter Airlines. Ground vehicles will also be electric, when available.

Construction on the new nine-gate terminal is expected to begin this spring and be completed by late 2024. More than 10 potential routes have been identified initially, Porter noted, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec, Moncton, Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John’s, and both its Toronto hubs—Billy Bishop and Pearson—using a combination of 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 and 132-seat Embraer E195-E2s. The total number of aircraft to be based on the new terminal is yet to be determined.