Sustainability In The Air

In this episode, we talk to Dr Florian Allroggen, Executive Director, Aerospace Climate & Sustainability, and a Research Scientist in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who shares insights into the science of contrails and their impact on aviation’s climate footprint.

Allroggen discusses his role, focusing on understanding aviation’s environmental impact and developing solutions for a net-zero pathway. He highlights several key issues:

1. The formation of contrails as ice clouds when aircraft exhaust meets cold atmospheric conditions, and their dual role in both warming and cooling the atmosphere.
2. The comparable magnitude of contrail warming effects to CO2 emissions, with varying impacts depending on the timeframe considered – contrails having larger short-term effects while CO2’s impact accumulates over centuries.
3. The potential for contrail avoidance through flight path adjustments, particularly by changing aircraft altitude rather than horizontal routing, due to the “pancake-like” nature of contrail-forming regions.
4. The development of real-time contrail detection technology using NASA satellite imagery and machine learning, currently being tested with Delta Air Lines.
5. The challenges of implementing contrail avoidance strategies, including the need for air traffic control coordination and the balance between fuel efficiency and contrail reduction.
6. The need for a holistic approach to aviation sustainability, addressing both CO2 and non-CO2 impacts while maintaining safety.

Throughout the conversation, Allroggen advocates for practical experimentation and implementation of contrail mitigation strategies, while acknowledging the uncertainties and challenges involved. He emphasises the importance of making robust decisions despite uncertainties, drawing parallels with everyday decision-making under uncertain conditions.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with  Maxime Meijers and Nicolas Meijers, co-founders of Estuaire. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Impacts of multi-layer overlap on contrail radiative forcing - DOAJ

Climate - MIT LAE   

Delta to work with MIT to study impact of airplane contrails on climate - CEHS 

How rerouting planes to produce fewer contrails could help cool the planet - MIT Technology Review 

How Estuaire’s data platform can help airlines and airports make better sustainability decisions - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we talk to Karine Guenan, Vice President of ZEROe ecosystem at Airbus, who shares insights into Airbus’s ambitious plans to bring hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market by 2035 and the unprecedented ecosystem development required to make this vision a reality.
Guenan discusses:

1. The technical challenges of developing hydrogen-powered aircraft, including the need for cryogenic storage at -253° C and specially designed insulated tanks, contrasting with traditional jet fuel storage in aircraft wings.
2. Airbus’s exploration of two potential technological platforms - fuel cell propulsion and direct hydrogen combustion - aimed at serving the 100-200 seat market with ranges of 1,000-2,000 nautical miles.
3. The extensive ecosystem partnerships being built worldwide, including collaborations with airports (like Gatwick), energy suppliers (like Air Products), airlines (like easyJet), and lessors (like Avalon) to create the infrastructure needed for hydrogen-powered aviation.
4. The advantages of hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel source when produced from renewable energy, including its potential to reduce both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions.
5. The safety considerations around hydrogen aviation, emphasising that hydrogen is non-toxic and actually dissipates more quickly than conventional fuels in case of leakage.

Throughout the conversation, Guenan emphasises that while the 2035 target for commercial entry into service is ambitious, it’s achievable through unprecedented collaboration across the aviation industry and beyond. She notes that while hydrogen aircraft will have a marginal impact by 2050, they represent a crucial long-term solution for aviation’s decarbonisation challenge.

Looking to the future, Guenan advocates for a multi-pronged approach to aviation sustainability, combining immediate solutions like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with longer-term transformative technologies like hydrogen-powered aircraft.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability at easyJet. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

ZEROe - Airbus
First ZEROe engine fuel cell successfully powers on - AGN
Airbus partners with Avolon to explore future of hydrogen aviation - Fuel Cells Works
Airbus to begin hydrogen fuel feasibility studies with North American airports - Flight Global 

In this episode, we talk to Yann Cabaret, CEO of SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, the aircraft business arm of SITA Group. Cabaret shares how SITA’s technology can help airlines meet their sustainability goals through better operational efficiency and compliance management. He also shares insights into SITA’s digital platforms and solutions aimed at reducing aviation’s environmental impact.

Cabaret discusses:

1. SITA EcoMission, a new platform that helps airlines manage environmental compliance while optimising costs, bringing together different departments – from flight operations to finance – for better collaboration.
2. How SITA OptiFlight is helping airlines achieve up to 5% fuel savings during climb-out phase by analysing aircraft-specific data and providing recommendations to pilots.
3. The future challenges of balancing multiple environmental factors, such as choosing between CO2 emissions and contrail avoidance, and how technology can help make these complex decisions manageable.
4. The vital role of operational efficiency as one of the few immediate levers airlines can pull today to become more sustainable, rather than waiting for future technologies like hydrogen or electric aircraft.

Throughout the conversation, Cabaret emphasises that while compliance and reporting are important, SITA’s ultimate goal is to help airlines reduce their environmental impact through better data and decision-making tools. He notes that SITA’s solutions can help reduce compliance costs by 3% while reducing staff requirements by 30%.

Looking to the future, Cabaret expresses optimism about the future of aviation, citing developments in operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), new engine technologies, and especially the influx of young talent who believe in making aviation more sustainable.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with  Sian Andrews, SESAR Environmental Lead at NATS. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content visit green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:
SITA FOR AIRCRAFT
SITA Eco Mission - SITA
Now more than ever fuel efficiency crucial to ops - Aerospace Tech Review
Bringing data science into the cockpit to reduce fuel burn and carbon emission - Aviation Week Network
Why flight paths matter more than you think for climate change - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we talk to Sian Andrews, SESAR Environmental Lead at NATS, UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services. She shares insights into how air traffic management can significantly reduce aviation’s environmental impact through innovative solutions and research projects.

Andrews discusses:

1. NATS’ role in making aviation sustainable through improved air traffic management, including their targets to reach net zero emissions by 2035.
2. The significant but often overlooked impact of contrails on climate change, explaining they can have warming effects comparable to CO2 emissions, particularly during nighttime operations.
3. The CICONIA project, led by Airbus and involving NATS, which aims to develop operational solutions for contrail avoidance while balancing fuel efficiency and air traffic management constraints.
4. The concept of “green route charging”, which aims to eliminate pricing incentives that can lead airlines to fly longer, less fuel-efficient routes to avoid high-cost airspace.
5. The Digital European Sky initiative, which combines various SESAR solutions to create a more efficient and environmentally conscious air traffic management system for the future.

Throughout the conversation, Andrews emphasises that while safety remains the absolute priority in air traffic control, environmental considerations have become increasingly important, with NATS being one of the few air navigation service providers regulated on environmental performance through their 3DI (three-dimensional insight) metric.

Looking to the future, Andrews advocates for a balanced approach that considers both operational efficiency and environmental impact to shape the future of aviation.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Maxime Meijers and Nicolas Meijers, co-founders of Estuaire, who share how their data platform can help airlines and airports make better sustainability decisions. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

NATS

NATS and SESAR – working together to deliver a Single European Sky 

Leading the Way in Contrail Avoidance - NATS

How Estuaire’s data platform can help airlines and airports make better sustainability decisions 

In this episode, we talk to Bertrand Piccard, renowned Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and clean technology pioneer. He shares insights into his ambitious Climate Impulse project that aims to set a historic precedent by flying a hydrogen aircraft around the world non-stop in 9 days.

Piccard achieved global recognition for completing the first non-stop balloon flight around the world and for co-piloting Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe. As the founder and chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, Piccard continues to advocate for environmental solutions and push the boundaries of sustainable technology. 

Piccard discusses:

1. The Climate Impulse project, aiming to fly around the world non-stop using liquid hydrogen, showcasing the potential of zero-emission aviation.
2. The technical aspects of the hydrogen-powered aircraft, including the challenges of storing liquid hydrogen at extremely low temperatures and the efficiency of fuel cells.
3. His vision for the future of sustainable aviation, emphasising the need for a shift towards more efficient technologies and practices beyond just hydrogen power.
4. His perspective on the current state of aviation, including his stance on ticket pricing and the need for a more sustainable approach to air travel.
5. The lessons learned from his previous projects, including Solar Impulse, and how these experiences inform his current endeavours.

Throughout the conversation, Piccard emphasises the importance of pushing boundaries in technology and human capability. Looking to the future, he expresses optimism about the potential of hydrogen in aviation, while acknowledging the challenges of implementation and the need for a holistic approach to sustainability in the industry.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, who shares how the developer is spearheading a new model of eco-tourism on the west coast of Saudia Arabia. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Climate Impulse

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard announces nonstop, round-the-world hydrogen flight - GreenAir News

This could be the first hydrogen-powered aircraft to fly non-stop around the globe - CNBC 

Solar Impulse Foundation 

In this episode, we talk to Lee Beck, Senior Director for Europe and the Middle East, and Thomas Walker, Transportation Technology Manager at Clean Air Task Force (CATF), who share insights into innovative solutions for decarbonising the aviation industry.

Beck and Walker discuss CATF's role as a global climate organisation focused on overlooked solutions for decarbonisation and provide a forward-looking perspective on the future of sustainable aviation. They highlight several key issues:

1. The potential of synthetic fuels to make up over 50% of aviation fuel by 2050, and the policy measures necessary to achieve this ambitious goal.
2. The limitations of biofuels in meeting long-term aviation demand, and the need to explore alternative fuel sources.
3. The promise and challenges of hydrogen-powered aircraft, particularly for regional flights, and the significant infrastructure changes required.
4. The potential of ammonia as an aviation fuel, its advantages over hydrogen, and the hurdles to its adoption.
5. The current limitations of electric aircraft due to battery energy density constraints, and their potential niche applications.
6. The importance of carbon capture and storage in producing synthetic fuels and decarbonising the aviation industry.
7. The need for an options-based approach to decarbonisation, maintaining multiple technological pathways to address the complex challenge of aviation emissions.

Throughout the conversation, Beck and Walker advocate for a diverse portfolio of solutions and strong international collaboration to address aviation's environmental impact, while expressing cautious optimism about the sector's ability to achieve significant emissions reductions in the coming decades.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Andrew Chen, Principal for Aviation Decarbonisation at RMI, who shares the RMI’s multi-faceted approach to aviation decarbonisation. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

About Us – Clean Air Task Force 

Decarbonizing Aviation: Enabling Technologies for a Net-Zero Future - CATF

Decarbonizing Aviation: Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Fuels - CATF 

Could ammonia have a role in decarbonising aviation? - AEF 

Why RMI’s multi-pronged approach to decarbonising aviation includes SAF & contrails - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we talk to Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), who shares insights into the airline’s ambitious sustainability initiatives and how they’re shaped by the unique environmental consciousness of Scandinavia.

SAS, a longstanding Scandinavian carrier, faces distinct challenges and opportunities in its sustainability journey due to the region’s deep-rooted environmental awareness and geographical characteristics. Van der Werff discusses:

1. The profound impact of Scandinavian environmental consciousness on SAS’s sustainability strategy, which goes beyond compliance to integrate sustainability into all aspects of operations.
2. The critical role of aviation in Scandinavia, serving as an essential connector for the region’s dispersed population across large, elongated countries.
3. SAS’s three-pillar approach to achieve sustainable aviation: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), electric aviation, and hydrogen technology.
4. The airline’s Conscious Traveler program, which educates and incentivises passengers to make sustainable choices, including the option to purchase SAF.
5. The airline’s bold move into electric aviation, including a partnership with Heart Aerospace and the sale of tickets for a fully electric flight scheduled for 2028.

Throughout the conversation, van der Werff emphasises the delicate balance SAS must strike between maintaining essential air connectivity and leading in sustainability efforts. Looking to the future, he expresses optimism about technological advancements in electric and hydrogen aviation, while acknowledging the challenges of high costs and the need for industry-wide collaboration to scale up sustainable solutions.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Anders Forslund, CEO of Heart Aerospace. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

EuroBonus conscious traveler - SAS

Scandinavian Airline SAS taking bookings for first electric flight on ES-30 aircraft in 2028 - Aviation International News 

Restructured SAS formally joins SkyTeam after withdrawal from Star Alliance - Flight Global 

First swedish airport joins SAS’ corporate sustainability program - Simple Flying

SAS successfully emerges from restructuring, poised for a new era as Scandinavia’s leading airline - Aviation24.be

In this episode, we talk to Sarah Ellerby, CEO of Nova Pangaea Technologies (NPT), a UK-based cleantech company that has created a patented technology called the REFNOVA®, to enable SAF production from agricultural and forestry waste.

Ellerby discusses:

1. NPT’s REFNOVA® technology, which processes non-food derived feedstocks such as sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw into SAF precursors.
2. The dual-product output of the REFNOVA® process: sustainable sugars for SAF production and biochar for soil enhancement and carbon sequestration.
3. Project Speedbird, a collaboration between Nova Pangaea Technologies, British Airways, and LanzaJet, which has secured £9 million in UK government funding.
4. The challenges of scaling SAF production, including the need for significant investment and the importance of a blended finance approach involving both public and private sectors.

Throughout the conversation, Ellerby emphasises the critical role of strategic partnerships and government support in advancing SAF production. She also shares NPT’s efforts to de-risk their technology and business model to attract larger investments needed for commercial-scale production.

Looking to the future, Ellerby outlines NPT’s goals for scaling up production to meet the UK’s SAF mandates, while acknowledging the challenges in funding and executing large-scale projects.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of LanzaJet, who shares the company’s journey in developing the world’s first proven ATJ technology that converts ethanol into SAF and renewable diesel. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Our biomass refinement process - Nova Pangaea Technologies 

Project Speedbird wins £9m UK funding for SAF production - Biofuels International Magazine

New investment in Nova Pangaea Technologies added to IAG’s $865 million SAF commitment - GreenAir News 

LanzaJet plans to produce 1 billion gallons of SAF by 2030 - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we talk to Freshta Farzam, founder and CEO of LYTE Aviation, who shares the company’s innovative approach to developing a 40-seater eVTOL aircraft for regional travel and cargo transport.

Farzam discusses:

1. The inspiration behind LYTE Aviation’s focus on larger capacity eVTOLs, challenging the industry trend of smaller air taxis.
2. The company’s diverse eVTOL portfolio, which includes the 40-seat SkyBus, the SkyTruck for cargo, and a 19-seat version for business aviation.
3. LYTE Aviation’s target markets, including supplementing ferry routes and creating new regional air connections.
4. Why LYTE uses hybrid propulsion systems, combining turboprop engines with electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
5. The infrastructure requirements and partnerships necessary for high-capacity eVTOL operations, and how LYTE’s eVTOLs can transform global transportation in the next 10-15 years.

Farzam emphasises the potential of larger eVTOLs to disrupt regional transportation, and contribute to the aviation industry’s sustainability journey. She discusses the challenges and opportunities in developing new air routes and collaborating with existing transportation providers. 

Looking to the future, Farzam envisions LYTE Aviation’s aircraft becoming a new norm in regional travel, potentially running on 100% hydrogen fuel.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby Aviation, who shares how Joby has become one of the leading players in the eVTOL space. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

LYTE Aviation

From retro inspiration to futuristic mobility: LYTE Aviation’s SkyBus - SimpliFlying  

LYTE Aviation partners with Crisalion Mobility on last mile transport - Revolution.aero 

LYTE Aviation sets sights on mass transit eVTOLs - Aviation Week Network 

Joby wants to alleviate the pain and frustration of getting from home to your airline seat - SimpliFlying 

In this episode, we talk to Maxime Meijers and Nicolas Meijers, co-founders of Estuaire, who share insights into their innovative data platform that provides comprehensive climate impact assessments for the aviation industry.

Maxime and Nicolas share:

1. The development of Estuaire’s data platform, which fuses various data sources to provide granular and exhaustive climate impact modelling for individual flights.
2. The significant impact of non-CO2 emissions, particularly contrails, which can represent an additional 30% climate impact on top of CO2 emissions.
3. The importance of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in reducing both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions, and Estuaire’s approach to optimising SAF allocation for maximum climate benefit.
4. The surprising finding that only 2% of flights are responsible for 80% of aviation’s contrail warming effect, and how Estuaire’s technology helps identify these high-impact flights.
5. The potential for airlines to achieve significant climate savings through small changes in flight operations, such as slight altitude adjustments to avoid contrail-prone areas.

Throughout the conversation, Maxime and Nicolas emphasise the unique transparency of the aviation sector and how Estuaire leverages this data to drive actionable insights for airlines, airports, and other stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem. Looking to the future, they discuss their ambitious goal of having 10 major airlines successfully implement contrail mitigation programs within the next year, showcasing the potential for rapid progress in sustainable aviation practices.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Alejandra Martín Frías, Head of Sustainability Research at FLIGHTKEYS, who shares insights into the company’s research on contrail avoidance and its potential impact on aviation sustainability. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to [email protected]. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Estuaire

Contrail Index - Estuaire 

ESTUAIRE raises €2.2M in seed round to reduce the climate impact of aviation - Safran 

How FLIGHTKEYS promises major climate gains at a minimal cost - SimpliFlying