Airbus: Working on the air

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Whereas traditionally, the environmental impact of human activities was limited to a local or regional perimeter, with climate change, society now faces a worldwide challenge with complex intra- and inter-generational implications.

Just as for the climate, air transport has no frontiers. Furthermore, being a worldwide long life-cycle industry, it continuously needs to develop a global long-term vision and anticipate upcoming changes.

Climate change: a challenge for the world and for our industry
Officially into force since February 16th, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol defines adjustment targets (compared to 1990 levels) for six main greenhouse gases (GHG) contributing to climate change for the period 2008-2012. Among them, carbon dioxide (CO2) is certainly the main one for which air traffic is directly concerned, due to engine emissions.

Aviation is not excluded from Kyoto
Contrary to what is commonly thought, aviation is not excluded from Kyoto agreements. CO2 from domestic aviation belongs to the assigned amounts attributed to States having ratified the Kyoto Protocol. For international traffic, the Protocol stipulates that limitation or reduction of emissions of GHGs shall be pursued through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Airbus is actively supporting ICAO's work, through its Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), on defining the frame and methodologies to mitigate these emissions, including the consideration of market-based measures as a means to achieve environmental goals at a lower cost and in a more flexible manner than traditional regulatory measures.

CO2 emissions from aviation account for only 2% of man-made CO2 emissions
Due to its specificities, air transport is one of the few sectors on which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a special report¹ to better identify its responsibilities and endorse them. The report established that emissions of CO2 from aviation accounted for 2% of total man-made emissions (3.5% of the total anthropogenic radiative forcing²) and this percentage is projected to grow due to the forecast air traffic growth (around 5% per year in revenue passenger kilometres over the next 20 years).

Meeting the challenge of growth
Air traffic is essential to the modern world and its projected growth is a key element for the sustainable development of our economies, particularly in emerging countries. This growth will be made possible by improving the infrastructure and overall air traffic system, and reduce the environmental impact of air transport as a whole.

Tremendous achievements over the past 40 years have already allowed a 70% reduction in aircraft fuel consumption (proportional to CO2 emissions).

Airbus approach: non-stop innovation for quieter, cleaner aircraft
Airbus was born in the early 1970s at the time of the first oil crisis. The company always kept in mind the necessity to design, sell, build and support a family of fuel-efficient aircraft. Heavily investing in intensive R&D programmes, Airbus has led the way with the introduction of major technological breakthroughs, combining environmental care (lower emissions) with good business sense (lower fuel burn). The progressive introduction of advanced materials and new processes in the A310 and A300-600 (first civil aircraft with composites in the secondary, and then the primary, structure), in the A320 Family (first civil aircraft with composite tail planes and flaps) and in the A340/A330 Family (first civil aircraft with a composite rear pressure bulkhead and keel beam), together with an optimised design, led to burning less fuel and therefore reducing GHG emissions.

A380: the flagship of the 21st Century: 3 litres of fuel per pax/100 km
The A380 Family represents the optimum outcome of decades of R&D:

	first civil aircraft to incorporate 25% composites.
	less than 3 litres of fuel per passenger/100 kilometres, generating CO2 emissions lower than 80g per passenger/kilometre (the European car industry aims to achieve 140g of CO2 per kilometre in 2008).

The A380 offers unmatched environmental performance, answering to a part of the growth in demand for air transport without additional aircraft movement.

Looking to the future
Through close co-operation with industry partners, dialogue with customers and anticipation of stakeholders' needs, Airbus continuously targets environmental performance from the earliest stage of design, integrating these requirements throughout a life-cycle approach.

The A350, entering into service in 2010, is designed with 60% advanced materials, and will save up to 25% fuel per seat (A350-900 version) compared to competing aircraft currently in production.

Airbus also committed to the ambitious goals of the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE), including the reduction of aircraft CO2 emissions by an additional 50% over the 2000 to 2020 period.

Clear the remaining uncertainties
In a long life-cycle industry, defining the most important issues well in advance and improving scientific knowledge to clear uncertainties is essential. Water vapour emitted by aircraft engines in a saturated atmosphere increases the greenhouse effect through the existence of contrails and the potential formation of cirrus. Whilst the future impact of contrails is now believed lower than initially evaluated by IPCC (but higher for cirrus), scientific uncertainties remain high. Airbus therefore actively supports scientific research; the MOZAIC program, initiated by Airbus in the 90's, enabled scientists to better understand the impact of NOx from aviation on the global ozone balance. This programme is now pursued by IAGOS, which aims to gather additional data on which to calibrate predictive models on the impact of aviation on the atmosphere.

By continued investment in R&D, the company will strive to achieve ongoing improvements in the aviation sector's environmental impact - helping to meet society's demand for air transport.

¹ Aviation and the Global Atmosphere (1999), prepared at ICAO's request
² Radiative forcing measures the importance of a potential climate change mechanism (change to the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system in watts per square meter).

For more information: environment@airbus.com