Ishka highlights five noteworthy aviation ESG developments in the past seven days. Here are five new ESG developments to keep in mind:
1. Indian government working on SAF recommendations from 2027 – The civil aviation ministry of India – arguably the fastest-growing aviation market in the world – is reportedly working on making SAF “recommendations” from 2027, proposing that Indian airlines use “1-5% SAF” starting that year, aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Mint in an article published on 10th January. Oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri (formerly a minister in charge of civil aviation) commented in March 2023 that the country was looking at mandating 1% SAF blending from 2025. Seemingly commenting on that target, Scindia noted the 2025 goal “is easier said than done” given shortfalls on “production, storage and transport of SAF.”
2. Dutch aviation calls on government and public to work together, not against it – After a rocky year for Dutch aviation placating greenwashing, taxes, and capacity limits, 31 Dutch aviation firms and institutions including KLM have united in calling for a “joint action agenda” that “together with the Dutch public, politicians, partners and industry-wide parties” will make the Dutch airline industry “cleaner, quieter and stronger.” The letter, published on KLM’s website on 11th January, includes comments by the Dean of Aerospace Engineering at the Delft University of Technology, the CEO of the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), as well as the CEOs and executives of KLM, Corendon, TUI Netherlands, and Transavia. The joint agenda balances the “cleaner, quieter, and stronger” priorities with “keeping the Netherlands well connected to the rest of the world” and “keeping flying accessible to all Dutch people.”
3. UK aviation reiterates calls for SAF support amid ‘taxpayer vs industry’ debate – A new article published in the Financial Times on 12th January put the spotlight once again on the call by UK airlines for more state support towards SAF production, particularly the rollout of a financial support mechanism to encourage SAF investment. The fresh call by UK airlines follows a letter by environmental NGOs, including influential Brussels-based Transport & Environment, on 15th December calling on the UK government to provide assurances that any SAF revenue certainty mechanism will “not be funded by the taxpayer.” The NGOs proposed instead an “industry-funded” mechanism solely paid for by the aviation sector. The NGO’s letter followed comments by UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper in November that the government was “absolutely prepared” to put taxpayer money into funding the transition towards cleaner aviation fuels.
4. Eurocontrol contrails conference paper now published – Eurocontrol has published a 59-page conference summary and responses to key questions on the major conference on non-CO2 events held in Brussels at its headquarters last November. Full minutes and lists of takeaways are available in the document, making it one of the best and most up-to-date resources available to learn about the scientific and regulatory progress toward tackling the non-CO2 effects of aviation.
5. Electric aviation updates: Elysian, eCaravans, and more… - There were a number of electric aviation announcements this week. Firstly, Dutch start-up Elysian Aircraft was formally launched with the goal of developing a 90-seater aircraft with an 800-km range solely based on batteries. The Hawaii Seaglider Initiative was formally launched as a consortium of local government and private sector stakeholders aimed at laying the path to the roll-out of all-electric, zero-emission aircraft that would fly at low altitudes over water between islands by the middle of the decade. Finally, US-based air mobility platform Surf Air Mobility (which is both developing proprietary electrified powertrain technology and developing a US operator network to use them) announced deals with Kenya Cessna Caravan operators to convert aircraft to electric propulsion.
