Five flights converging to Lyon demonstrate potential for greening of aviation

Aviation associations call for policies to support the continued transition to net zero carbon emissions

Today, five European flights will converge on Lyon Airport, applying innovative technologies, fuels and air navigation procedures to minimise their carbon emissions, thus showing the potential to transform the environmental impact of the aviation industry. The flights – from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bucharest, Frankfurt and Lisbon – are arriving this afternoon on the occasion of the European Commission’s ‘Connecting Europe Days’ event using the following measures:

• Environmentally optimised routings – By taking advantage of airspace normally reserved for the military and by using improved vertical and lateral profiles, new, more direct routings are made possible, improving trajectories and descents into Lyon Airport’s approach airspace. In this way, the five flights are achieving a more optimal trajectory for minimising fuel burn and thus reducing emissions. These are made possible thanks to collaboration between EUROCONTROL, the air navigation service providers from eleven countries[1] and the respective National Military Authorities, in partnership with the ALBATROSS project[2].
• Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs): Airlines including Air France, easyJet, KLM, Lufthansa, Transavia and Vueling are each uplifting 30% SAF on a total of ten flights departing from Lyon, resulting in a CO₂ emissions reduction of 27% per flight compared to conventional fuel use. Increased SAF uptake has been proven to be the most effective means to decarbonise aviation in the next decades until newer technologies, such as hydrogen, become available.
• Carbon neutral airport operations and infrastructure – Lyon Airport is deploying the most energy-efficient operational know-how and solutions for the turnaround of these aircraft. The host airport is an exemplary part of VINCI Airports’ environmental strategy, having already achieved carbon neutrality with compensation in 2017 within Airport Carbon Accreditation. It is now on course to become the first commercial airport in France to reach net zero CO₂ emissions by 2026 within the scope of its business. Lyon Airport is also a pilot for VINCI Airports’ plan to kickstart hydrogen use at airports to accommodate hydrogen-powered aircraft as early as 2023, in partnership with Airbus and Air Liquide.

This coordinated action has shown what can be achieved through the application of measures set out in the Destination 2050 Roadmap,[3] an initiative of the five leading European aviation associations[4] to identify a pathway for their sector to reach the EU’s climate goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The European aviation industry is committed to this Roadmap, but in order to make today’s exceptional measures possible on a wider basis, they call for political support for its four pillars, including:
Aircraft and engine technologies

• New technologies are expected to enter the market in the 2030s. To make this happen, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is needed by 2027-2030 and efficient certification procedures are required. At the same time, the further enhancement of existing technologies should not be neglected as they still have vast potential to contribute to the drastic reduction of aviation emissions. So far, each new generation of aircraft is on average 20% more fuel-efficient than its predecessors.
• Full support for funding programmes at EU level (via the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking) and Member State level is needed to stimulate further development and deployment of new technologies.
• Support industry via incentives and de-risking investments.

Air traffic management and aircraft operations

• Full support for research under the EU’s SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking on new technologies and procedures is needed to enable the transition to more sustainable and efficient skies.
• National governments to fully implement the Single European Sky, for example by supporting the roll-out of measures such as cross-border Free Route Airspace (allowing aircraft to freely plan a more direct route between defined entry and exit points) and Flexible Use of Airspace (enabling a switch from military to civilian use at short notice).

SAFs

• Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) represent one of the most promising solutions to decarbonise aviation, however production is still very low and prices are too high.
• Incentives are necessary to incentivise production and bridge the price gap between SAFs and conventional jet fuel.
• An EU blending mandate offers the necessary policy framework to increase production and uptake of SAF.

Smart economic measures

• Economic measures will be critical in the short term until the sector can start relying on SAFs and new technologies (circa 2030s).
• An ambitious global measure, such as CORSIA, is necessary. Aviation is by its nature a global industry, therefore it needs one single emissions trading/offsetting scheme to avoid carbon leakage and double counting of emissions.

With the necessary political support and the right legislative framework, our members can take the required steps to achieve the EU’s net zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

[1] Belgium (skeyes), Croatia (Croatia Control), France (DSNA), Germany (DFS), Italy (ENAV), the Netherlands (LVNL), Portugal (NAV Portugal), Romania (ROMATSA), Serbia (SMATSA), Spain (ENAIRE) and Switzerland (skyguide)

[2] https://www.dlr.de/ft/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-17433/

[3] https://www.destination2050.eu/

[4] A4E, ACI EUROPE, ASD Europe, CANSO, ERA

Lyon, 28 June 2022

Airlines demonstrate pivotal role increased SAF uptake and Single European Sky implementation would have in reducing CO₂ emissions

• On the 10^th anniversary of the EU’s ‘Connecting Europe Days’[1] event, ten regularly scheduled A4E flights[2] departing from Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport are uplifting a 30% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced and supplied by TotalEnergies, single-handedly reducing emissions from these flights by 27%[3] compared to using conventional jet fuel.

• Increased SAF uptake will play a key role in airlines’ ability to reach Europe’s Green Deal climate goals and the sector’s own 2050 net zero emissions targets.
• Select flights to Lyon[4] will also put the Single European Sky into early action, securing even further CO₂ savings thanks to optimised flight routings in collaboration with the Single European Sky’s ATM Research (SESAR)’s ALBATROSS project.
• EU countries must implement the Single European Sky to avoid expensive sustainable aviation fuels being wasted on inefficient routings.

Europe’s airlines are demonstrating their continued commitment to sustainable air transport by operating dedicated flights with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) during the European Commission’s ‘Connecting Europe Days’ – (CED) which kicks off at Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport today with the “Connecting Europe by Air: the Green Transformation” event. Over 2,000 conference participants are expected to attend the 10^th anniversary of these events, including hundreds of youth from across Europe*.

A4E airlines including Air France, easyJet, KLM, Lufthansa, Transavia and Vueling are each uplifting 30% SAF on a total of ten flights departing from Lyon today, resulting in a CO₂ emissions reduction of 27% per flight compared to conventional fuel use. Increased SAF uptake has been proven to be the most effective means to decarbonise aviation in the near term, and for long-haul flights until newer technologies, such as hydrogen, become available.

In addition, multiple flights to the conference will also operate with sustainable aviation fuel onboard and feature further sustainability measures currently in place today, including reduced single-use plastics, crew uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles, sustainable catering and further off-setting of emissions through certified climate projects.

Airlines will also showcase the emissions reduction benefits which would result if Member States would stop blocking — and start implementing the Single European Sky, with flights to Lyon following unrestricted, fully optimised routings as part of SESAR’s ALBATROSS project. ALBATROSS is currently conducting hundreds of gate-to-gate flight trials across Europe to demonstrate how optimised ATM operations and new technologies can mitigate aviation’s environmental footprint and maximise emissions reductions, with the goal to reduce average CO2 emissions per flight by 5-10% (0.8-1.6 tonnes) by 2035 through enhanced cooperation.

“Despite the current challenges our sector is facing, operationally in the wake of the global pandemic, geopolitically and with rising costs – airlines’ commitment to sustainable air transport is stronger than ever. Today, under real operational conditions, we’ve demonstrated that increased SAF uptake and more efficient air traffic management in Europe can reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 30% per flight. Now we need policy-makers to do their part in helping to make SAF more accessible and affordable – but equally, we need national governments to finally implement the Single European Sky, to avoid expensive fuels from being wasted on inefficient routings”, said Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director, Airlines for Europe (A4E).

“As today’s event shows, aviation’s decarbonisation cannot be achieved by airlines acting alone. It requires the collective efforts of many different players, including policy-makers and suppliers, so that all European travellers can benefit – especially the younger generation of flyers, who expect nothing less from us”, Reynaert added.

A4E airlines’ involvement in Connecting Europe Days includes:

Air France-KLM Group

As demonstrated by its “Destination Sustainability” program, Air France-KLM Group aims to be a European leader in sustainable aviation. To illustrate its strong commitment, the Air France-KLM Group airlines are mobilizing on the occasion of the “Connecting Europe Days”. Five flights operated by Air France, KLM and Transavia will fly to their destinations carrying 30% sustainable aviation fuel onboard. This marks the first time that Transavia France operates with SAF on any of its flights, and it is the first time that all carriers of the Air France-KLM Group carry SAF on the same day. Finally, Air France-KLM representatives will participate in panel discussions at the event. Through these actions, AF-KLM Group carriers want to demonstrate that sustainability is not an option, but a necessity — also for aviation, and the Group remains committed to its efforts.

easyJet

easyJet’s flight EJU4434 from Lisbon to Lyon will follow a specifically designed, optimised flight plan to showcase the potential for significant CO₂ savings if the Single European Sky was implemented. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will be uplifted at Lyon for the return flight and two other flights departing Lyon that day. Each of easyJet’s flights is already 100% offset, at no cost to its customers, and the airline only invests in projects that are certified by the highest standards. As with all its flights, the airline operates a modern fleet of aircraft efficiently and aim to fill most of its seats to reduce CO₂ emissions per passenger. Ultimately, easyJet has committed to Race to Zero and achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050, with a focus on the development of innovative, zero carbon emissions technology. The airline has also introduced new crew uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. This comes in addition to the 36 million single-use plastic items that were already eliminated from inflight operations. The new uniforms will be on display at the Destination 2050 stand at the Connecting Europe by Air: The Green Transformation event. In addition, one of easyJet’s young Italian pilots who is also pursuing a PhD focussing on sustainability and technological innovation in aviation will participate in the Youth Panel.

Lufthansa

With its flight LH1076 from Frankfurt to Lyon, Lufthansa shows what can be done already today to fly as sustainable as possible. The flight will be set carbon-neutral: The CO₂ emissions will be offset with 50% SAF and 50% using high-quality carbon offset projects. Lufthansa will also uplift SAF in Lyon for the return flight to Frankfurt. With regards to operational efficiency, the use of the SESAR ALBATROSS allows for particularly efficient approach procedures. The Lufthansa Group is also constantly investing in fleet modernisation, and with the A320neo will showcase one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft of its type of which Lufthansa was the launching customer. Lufthansa has also made a conscious effort to create a sustainable and attractive onboard catering service with many fresh products. Step by step, single-use plastic articles are to be replaced by sustainable materials, and PET bottles are recycled in a so-called closed loop in Frankfurt, meaning from the recycled raw material, new PET bottles will be produced.

Vueling

Part of International Airlines Group (IAG), Vueling will operate two dedicated flights to the Connecting Europe Days events between Barcelona and Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport on 28 June with around 20 invited students from Barcelona University (UB) and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) onboard. The airline has managed to reduce around 63% of the CO₂ emissions from these flights thanks to the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) equivalent to the 50% of required fuel for the route Barcelona to Lyon and produced by Repsol, and a 30% SAF uptake by Total Energies on the return flight to Barcelona. It has also flown an optimised flight plan route thanks to the coordination with the ALBATROSS Team, and with a new generation Airbus A320neo. With this action, Vueling demonstrates that aviation can improve considerably if regulators put focus on the development of sustainable aviation fuels and airspace efficiency in line with the Single European Sky strategy.

[1] See: connectingeuropedays (europa.eu)

[2]Flights on 28 June include: EasyJet: Flights EJU4434 from Lisbon to Lyon; Lyon to Gatwick and Lyon to Toulouse; Lufthansa:Flight LH1076 from Frankfurt to Lyon and flight LH1077 from Lyon to Frankfurt; Air France flights AF1594 from Lyon to Brest and AF1574 from Lyon to Pau; KLM flight KL1415 from Amsterdam to Lyon, flights KL1416 and KL1418 from Lyon to Amsterdam; Transavia flight TO7770 from Lyon to Porto; Vueling flight VY1220 from Barcelona to Lyon and flight VY1221 from Lyon to Barcelona. See also Connecting Europe by Air – the Green Transformation (europa.eu) for more information.

[3] Source: Total Energies. Neat SAF reduces emissions by 91.2% over its fossil-based equivalent. Consequently, 30% SAF reduces CO2 emissions by 27% over conventional fuel.

[4]Vueling flight VY1220, KLM flight KL1415, Lufthansa flight LH1076 and easyJet flight EJU4434

Lyon, France, 28 June 2022