As the Crow Flies

It might at first glance sound a bit obvious, but the fact that The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is working on moves to make flights straighter and quicker is the product of considerable effort. The fuel-saving measures could make European routes a few minutes shorter and take over fifteen off a London to New York flight. Airlines are desperate to cut their fuel bills as they are pinched by the twin forces of increased oil prices and falling passenger numbers.

Traditionally airline routes have to skirt around patches of airspace reserved for military use. Under the proposed arrangements civilian air traffic will be permitted to share airspace with military aircraft, allowing more direct flying. The average European airline flight is 30 miles longer than strictly necessary in order to steer clear of military zones. France is a good case in point with four separate military areas. It is estimated that 5% of the total airspace in Europe is restricted in the way at certain times.

Aside from these efforts, on which negotiations continue, airlines are working to cut costs in other ways. BA has started to carry less tap water to save weight and therefore fuel. No sign of them dropping the boxes of duty-free nonsense that they cart about so far, though.

The ERA Goes ERR...

According to the general manager for infrastructure and environment at the European Regions Airline Association, "There are both social and economic benefits to air travel." The manager, Simon McNamara, added. "These benefits must be taken in to consideration when discussing environmental damage caused by air travel so that passengers can make an informed choice. You have to balance the effect we have on the environment with the social and economic advantages we bring to people in life." Pushing water uphill with a sieve comes to mind.

BioFueled Jumbo

Air New Zealand is planning to undertake the first test flight of a commercial airliner partially powered by biofuel. A 747 biofuel test flight is one part of a deal between the airline, engine producer Rolls-Royce and aircraft manufacturer Boeing to research greener flying. One of the four engines will be run on a mixture of kerosene and a biofuel. The test is scheduled for late 2008 or early 2009.

Air New Zealand's chief executive Rob Fyfe said that advances in technology had made biofuels a viable possibility for use in aviation sooner than anticipated. The partnership gave no details of the type of biofuel to be used, but said that the test flight will not carry passengers.

Virgin Atlantic is planning a UK-based test flight early next year which would also see one engine of a four-engined commercial jet running partially or entirely on a biofuel.
A Virgin spokesman told the BBC that ground testing was well underway in the US in partnership with GE and Boeing. But this team also has yet to decide which fuel to use.

Protesters To Shift Their Attention?

Domestic air travel in India has grown at more than 38 per cent in the first seven months of 2007. Between January and July, more than 24.85 million passengers travelled as against 18.03 million in the same period last year. More and more airlines are coming into the Indian aviation business. Yet again we have a situation where whatever we're doing in Britain and Europe to try and see some control of air travel growth India (and China) are just growing off the graph. Perhaps the Heathrow climate protesters will be going overland to India to blockade Mumbai airport?

Jaw, Jaw Not War, War?

On Saturday the British Airline Pilots' Association called for talks with the Heathrow demonstrators from the 'Camp for Climate Action.' "We would like to come to a common understanding about carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft," said Captain Mervyn Granshaw, chairman of the BALPA trade union. A Camp spokesman rejected the BALPA offer for talks.
"We're more than happy to discuss the science of climate change with anybody, but right now we're caught up planning for tomorrow's direct action."

A few hundred people demonstrate and BALPA want to talk to them....I think in their answer you get just how much good it would do

The Soul of the Suffragettes

Ten people were arrested yesterday after environmental activists briefly blocked entrances to Biggin Hill airport, south of London, while another group targeted Farnborough airport, in Hampshire. The Metropolitan Police said 10 people were arrested at Biggin Hill on suspicion of aggravated trespass after the protesters chained themselves to the fence (the Suffragette movement have a lot to answer for!) A spokesman for the demonstrators said it was a protest against the growth in the number of people using private jets as opposed to scheduled flights - there's no evidence to suggest that British Airways were behind the protest.

James Brown (not the Godfather of Soul reincarnated) said the demonstration by about 20 people at Farnborough was abandoned after two and a half hours when the airport cheated by opening alternative gates

All the Lights Are On And No One's At Home

According to the Independent over half of Britain want a 'green tax' on air travel to "to try to curb harmful the CO2 emissions that cause global warming." A survey published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics showed that 44 per cent now support the idea that those who fly should bear the cost of the environmental damage they cause.

Several things occur. Saying it and paying it are two different things. The emissions from air travel per passenger, compared to the emissions that most everyone pumps out on a yearly basis from driving around on unnecessary car journeys are way less.

As with all surveys they tend to paint a somewhat different picture to realty. It also found that about 50 per cent said they never leave lights on in unoccupied rooms. Yeah, right!

Next they'll be banning Christmas lights

Trees Need Not Be Us.....

...possibly. The Australian Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey is hopping mad. Apparently her country suffers because of overseas perceptions that long-haul flights damage the environment. Negative press campaigns in the UK have, according to Fran, promoted an incorrect idea about aviation's carbon emissions.

“There's quite a lot of media in the UK ... about the danger of long-haul aviation and of course Australia is a long-haul aviation (destination). Aviation contributes two per cent of (global carbon dioxide) emissions, where a lot of ads in the UK suggest it is 98 per cent.”

She apparently went on to say that long-haul aviation caused less environmental impact than high intensity weekend trips by Europeans.

So what do we glean from this? Perhaps we need not plant trees? Maybe we shouldn't be popping off to the Continent but to Oz instead? Confused? Me too....

Trees-R-Us

Apparently the number of Dutch air travellers who want to neutralise the environmental effects of their plane trips is growing fast. Two Dutch companies active in this field, Trees for Travel and Greenseat, have reported that 110,000 people will off-set their flights by investing in environmental projects in 2007.

Now I assume this means, in the main, planting trees. Let's just assume that 110,000 passengers plant ten trees each, that's over a million trees. Last year over 4 billion passengers took to the skies. Let's just say that 20% of them through guilt, a love of the environment or some other reason decided to plant ten trees - that's 8 billion little trees!

Where are they going to plant them? More to the point whose going to plant them? Every other newspaper add would be - Wanted, tree planter. As someone pointed out to me recently, carbon offsets could be the new Amway.