The aviation industry forms an important pillar of a nation’s economy. A new report by the cross-industry aviation organisation the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) reveals that aviation supports some 26.8 million jobs and $1.1 trillion in GDP across the 21 APEC economies. It is thus important for this industry to grow in a systematic and sustainable matter. To push that along, Singapore Airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore are doing a joint research on the benefits, requirements and cost of using alternative fuel which causes less pollution. Read more

By Karamjit Kaur for The Straits Times (6 September 2013):

CAAS, SIA to study alternative fuel use

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) are doing a joint research on the benefits, requirements and cost of using alternative fuel.

In a push for cleaner skies, Singapore is studying for the first time the feasibility of airlines using alternative fuels.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) are doing the joint research, with the aid of hired consultants.

They will look into the benefits, requirements and cost of using alternatives, a CAAS spokesman told The Straits Times.

The study, expected to start later this year, should take about six months. The cost has not been finalised.

Whether the intention is to eventually draft policies to require or encourage Singapore carriers to make the switch is premature to say, industry observers said.

SIA spokesman Nicholas Ionides said the new collaborative effort will take the studies it has done on its own to the next level.

Its move is also in concert with the International Air Transport Association’s (Iata) global drive to get airlines to eventually switch from fossil fuels like oil to alternative sources, namely biofuels, which cause less pollution.

It will help to further reduce the industry’s carbon emission, which is about 2 per cent of man-made greenhouse emissions currently.

But it wants to do better. Said Iata’s assistant director of environment (technology), Mr Thomas Roetger: “We must put in place appropriate steps to further limit and reduce carbon emissions.”

Iata has pledged that from 2020, the industry will achieve growth without increasing its carbon emission. By 2050, the target is for its carbon emission to be half that of 2005.

The focus on biofuels follows the significant strides made by the industry in recent years in reducing its carbon footprint, Mr Roetger said, citing the investment in more fuel-efficient planes and air traffic service providers helping to shorten flight times.

Biofuels used in aviation are typically extracted from plant sources that are not used in food, such as algae.

Since 2011, they have been certified safe for planes when used with today’s jet fuel. Further studies and tests are being done on whether a complete switch is safe.

Sixteen airlines have tried out the mix since then, completing more than 1,500 commercial passenger flights. The carriers include Air France, Air China and Thai Airways.

SIA has not done any such test flights.

The biggest obstacle to the widespread use of biofuels is price, which is almost double that of jet fuel, Mr Roetger said.

But he foresees prices falling in the coming years as demand grows and suppliers achieve economies of scale.

Iata is also talking to governments on how they can incentivise the use of alternative fuels for aviation, he said.

Mr Ionides shares his vision: “The way forward is to ensure there is enough supply and ready infrastructure to support the deployment of alternative fuels in an economically viable manner.”

http://www.eco-business.com/news/caas-sia-study-alternative-fuel-use/

Aviation supports 26.8 million APEC jobs

ATAG reports from  Geneva and Tokyo (4 September 2013):

As Ministers of Transport from across the APEC region gather in Tokyo, a new report has been released by the cross-industry aviation organisation the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), looking at the role aviation plays in the APEC region. The report, Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders APEC, reveals that aviation supports some 26.8 million jobs and $1.1 trillion in GDP across the 21 APEC economies.

ATAG Executive Director, Paul Steele, says: “The breadth and importance of air transport to economies in APEC is impressive. The fact that, ranked by GDP, the region’s air transport industry would be the fifth largest APEC economy shows how large the industry is. But more important than the size of aviation is the important role it plays in transporting passengers and goods across the region. Aviation drives high-value trade and is a vital player in the region’s tourism industry.”

Globally, air transport facilitates around 35% of the value of world trade and in APEC, it handled 23.2 million tonnes of high-value trade in 2010. The report estimates that, by 2030, air transport will support up to 45 million jobs and $3.2 trillion in GDP, but also cautions that if growth were to be just one percent lower each year, the impact could be up to eight million jobs not created.

Steele comments, “Aviation is a great facilitator and catalyst for economic growth, but it needs to be growth in a sustainable and systematic way. We must ensure that the industry and governments work together to build the needed infrastructure to facilitate this growth. But any new infrastructure must fit in to a broader strategic plan. I am glad to say that the industry and governments are working through APEC on some of these issues and this cooperation should be broadened wherever possible.”

Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders APEC also provides an overview of the scope of air transport across the APEC economies. Airlines in the region carried 1.4 billion passengers in 2010. There are 857 commercial airports, 1,344 airlines, 21 air traffic control organisations and 16,782 aircraft that make up the APEC air transport system.

The meeting of the APEC transport ministers comes at a key time when governments are preparing to meet in Montreal at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the 38th triennial ICAO Assembly, beginning at the end of September. The aviation industry has been urging governments to make progress on the issue of aviation and climate change and in particular on the development of a single global market-based measure for aviation emissions to complement efforts on technology, operations and infrastructure improvements.

“We would like to send a strong message to the APEC Transport Ministers and their colleagues in governments around the world to provide leadership on climate change and how any global policy response might impact aviation. As an industry, we have provided our suggestion of an approach we think is the most practical and easy to implement. It is now up to governments to set in place the way forward,” says Paul Steele.

“The report we have released today allows us to explore the important role that aviation plays across the APEC region – and the world – on a daily basis. Our industry is committed to a sustainable future for air transport and providing all the benefits that aviation brings for global economies. What we are hoping to achieve at ICAO is a key building block of that sustainable future and we urge all governments, including the APEC Ministers meeting in Tokyo, to support this global effort.”

Notes:

The Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders APEC report can be found at this direct link.

APEC is the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation, a forum designed to facilitate economic growth through greater cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. It consists of the following governments: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. www.apec.org

APEC is working on a number of aviation projects with member countries and industry, including the recently-announced initiatives in aviation security, connectivity, infrastructure and passenger facilitation improvements.

The full, global, Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders report can be found at www.aviationbenefitsbeyondborders.org

The industry’s position on climate change for the 38th ICAO Assembly.

A comprehensive story on the aviation industry’s position can be found on page 8 of this publication for the ICAO Assembly.

A Boeing report released last week estimates the number of pilots that will be required to be trained and employed in the Asia-Pacific region over the next year to be 192,300, along with 215,300 aircraft technicians.

Source: www.atag.org