Sustainability In The Air

Why flight paths matter more than you think for climate change

Oct 24, 2024

Sian Andrews, SESAR Environmental Lead at NATS, UK’s premier air traffic control provider, discusses vital aviation sustainability efforts. She reveals how contrails contribute significantly to climate change, often rivaling CO2 effects. The conversation dives into the CICONIA project aimed at contrail avoidance while optimizing fuel efficiency. Andrews also highlights the concept of ‘green route charging’ to steer airlines away from inefficient routes. Lastly, the Digital European Sky initiative promises a more sustainable future for air traffic management.

47:26

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Episode guests

Sian Andrews

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Quick takeaways

Air traffic management innovations, including contrail avoidance and green route charging, can significantly reduce aviation's environmental impact while improving operational efficiency.

The often-overlooked effects of contrails on climate change highlight the need for targeted research to mitigate their warming contributions alongside reducing CO2 emissions.

Deep dives

The Importance of Compliance in Sustainable Aviation

Sita Ecomission is a critical tool for airlines, streamlining compliance with environmental regulations such as Refill EU, Corsia, and EU ETS. This tool not only helps airlines adhere to these regulations but also supports better, sustainable operational practices. By simplifying compliance processes, it enables airlines to make informed decisions that positively impact the environment. This focus on regulatory adherence is essential for the aviation industry as it works toward reducing its carbon footprint and promoting sustainability.

Intro

4min

Modernizing Airspace for Sustainability

26min

Navigating Sustainable Skies

13min

Exploring Personal Growth Through Gardening and Environmental Activism

2min

Finding Balance: The Importance of Work-Life Harmony

2min

Embracing Awareness for Sustainable Aviation

2min

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:

NATS’ role in making aviation sustainable through improved air traffic management, including their targets to reach net zero emissions by 2035.
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.
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.
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.
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 podcast@simpliflying.com. 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