Airlines Environmental Footprint

As CO2 emissions may be reduced by 80% through the conversion process of conventional jet fuel to sustainable biofuels, it is important that airlines begin to implement this conversion process with all appropriate models. The commercialization of these fuels will begin once the demand is in place, and the demand must come from the consumers. For the airlines interested in reducing their environmental footprint, a policy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will help to support this conversion process and show stakeholders that the companies are interested in reducing the amount of toxic emissions that are distributed by carriers.

Another option is for carriers to be more logistical in terms of how they perform their routes. By implementing more intelligent ATM (Air Traffic Management) systems alongside better airport infrastructure, congestion in the skies and airports can be prevented, which would substantially reduce the amount of fuel burn that takes place. These systems are already in place in many parts of the country but still require implementation in other regions. NextGen Data Communications systems have been promoted by the FAA and GPS surveillance is already allowing for carriers to streamline their routes (FAA, 2011). However, this is only one aspect of reducing emissions and hold-ups at airports can still cause lag time and increase fuel burn for jets that must wait while other jets clear the runway, disembark passengers, board and so on. Crews must be more efficient in handling the day-to-day airport activities in their support of carriers in order to assist in the reduction of fuel burn.

Addressing discharges from fueling, de-icing and other industrial activities is also important for airlines and airports to consider. In fact, they must be able to coordinate and work together to provide solutions that will address discharge issues, because while this type of pollution is not as impactful as emissions from fuel burn it is still a factor that can leave an environmental footprint and must be addressed. As Vasilyeva (2009) notes, there are number of ways airports could approach this issue: one is through the use of centralized deicing locations that could prevent contamination of various parts of an area and keep runoff located to a specific part of the airport where it could be properly treated and processed; the other option is for a recycling program to be put into place that could prevent deicing solutions from going into groundwater.

FAA. (2011). Proposed Provision of Navigation Services for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Transition to Performance-Based Navigation (PBN). Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/12/15/2011-31451/proposed-provision-of-navigation-services-for-the-next-generation-air-transportation-system-nextgen

Vasilyeva, A. (2009). Aircraft deicing operations. Retrieved from
http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_exercises/2009%20reports/Aircraft%20Deicing%20Vasilyeva.pdf