Contacts & news from contributing members

The Air Greenland Group has always had considerable focus on sustainability, and in 2020 its work resulted in a tangible sustainability strategy, which is based on UN Global Compact’s ten principles and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which inspire and guide us in our work involving sustainability. Demands are made on all our strategic initiatives to ensure that they are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, such that the following vision can be realised: We will be the natural choice that boosts Greenland. We will secure everyday life and create adventures. We will do this sustainably.

Sustainability at Airbus means uniting and safeguarding the world in a safe, ethical, and socially and environmentally responsible way. We have a comprehensive sustainability strategy built on four core commitments, which guide our approach to the way we do business and how we design our products and services.  In addition, we are focused on delivering on our ambition to bring the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft to market by 2035.

Atlantic Airways are committed to conducting our business in a responsible and transparent manner, striving to serve the Faroese society and community as well as to provide competitive services to passengers, and to manage social and environmental footprints.

Atlantic Airways main environmental footprint stems from the fuel we use for our aircraft. Aviation is tied to oil consumption and also CO2 emissions, which are considered a cause of climate change. With increasing fuel costs, it makes sense business-wise and for the environment to do what we can to reduce our fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

A few years ago, the airline updated the fleet, bringing in Airbus aircraft in place of the old Avro RJ aircraft that had higher emissions. We continued renewing the fleet in 2019 and 2020 when two new Airbus A320neo joined the fleet. The A320neo’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are at least 15% lower than the current Airbus aircraft. In 2020, the average jet fuel burn per seat on the scheduled services was 70 kilos lower on average, compared with the average consumption per seat on the scheduled services in 2008. In 2020, the total CO2 emissions from Atlantic Airways’ scheduled services was 21,223 tonnes. Atlantic Airways has registered all its fuel consumption and CO2 emission from aircraft since 2010 because of environmental demands from EU authorities.

Avinor’s environmental policy: Avinor will improve its environmental achievements and aims to be a driving force for environmental work in aviation

• Avinor has a process aimed at continuously improving its environmental performance and will work actively to reduce the group’s environmental impact
• Avinor complies with regulatory and internal requirements. Environmental management will comply with ISO14001 and secure systematic coordination and follow-up of environmental performance
• Avinor will secure a high level of environmental awareness and competence in the group. Employees and partners at airports must understand the group’s most important environmental aspects
• Avinor will emphasize and integrate environmental considerations in early stage planning of projects and in procurement of products and materials. Development projects will be carried out with high environmental focus.
• Avinor will conduct an open, constructive and proactive dialogue with partners, local community, authorities, aviation organizations and other stakeholders to reduce environmental impact
• Avinor is seeking solutions for environmental challenges through cooperation with research and development institutions, authorities and other national and international organizations

“Addressing climate change is broader than one company or industry,” said Brian Moran, vice president of Global Sustainability Policies & Partnerships for Boeing International. “Boeing is engaging global governments and associations while partnering with a host of suppliers, customers and cross-sector companies to find solutions to decarbonize aviation and create a sustainable aerospace future together.”

Copenhagen Airport is launching a new climate strategy. In addition to setting ambitious goals for the airport’s climate activities.

The goals of the strategy are:

• By 2030, CPH will be an emission-free airport with emission-free transport to and from the airport. This will be realised partly by CPH’s continued investment in solar panel systems and support of green conversion of land transport by improving the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles both within and outside the airport area.
• The entire airport will be emission-free by 2050. CPH will be entirely free of CO₂ emissions from the airport itself, air traffic, companies operating in the airport and land traffic to and from the airport. This will be realised by means of strategic partnerships across the aviation industry, decision-makers and researchers, aiming at greater availability of sustainable fuel and the development of climate-friendly technologies.

At Copenhagen Helicopter we believe in a future of quiet electric vertical flights for everyone, made possible in the development of eVTOL aircrafts starting to enter the upcoming AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) market later in this decade ('20's), servicing urban- and regional distances with a near address-to-address mode of travel by air, and when integrated with the upcoming MaaS, giving the customer the most sustainable and time efficient mode of transportation from address to address.

We are committed to address the local and regional challenges ahead and recognize the need to articulate this new market to the public's view and knowledge, why we have created the free media eVTOL.dk.

We believe the AAM market in the next decade ('30's) is able to service and connect the entire country incl. rural areas and islands much better together, creating a new logistic possibility to settle and commute where one desire to live, as cost-effective as many landbased modes of transportation in the most sustainable way possible.

Danish Aviation takes responsibility and delivers a plan for solving aviation's climate challenges;

The ambition is huge. We aim for 100% CO2 neutrality by 2050 at the latest.

And we mean it seriously, so that's why:

We CO2-compensate domestic flights already from 2020

We reduce Danish aviation's CO2 emissions by 30% from 2030

We work to increase demand for sustainable fuel and other long-term technological solutions.

Therefore, we want to strengthen research and development projects for the production of this.

Finavia has signed an international climate agreement

'We are a key partner in the joint commitment of European airport companies which aims for 100 carbon-neutral airports in Europe by 2030. Finavia’s airports represent 20 per cent of this target. For Finland’s part, the target was already achieved in 2019.

In 2019, we became a signatory to ACI Europe’s next goal, committing to net zero emissions by 2050. Finavia has set a goal of achieving net zero emissions in the next few years.'

The most complex challenge with flying is the environmental impact. Aviation is imperative to manage global trade, increase the understanding between nations and individuals, and enable different aid and support initiatives.

We need to address  that challenge and decouple our traffic growth from the emissions growth. In the long term, we need to find a way to make our operations carbon neutral. Our goal is to be carbon neutral by the end of 2045. Our first milestone is already by the end of 2025; we will cut our net emissions by 50 % from the 2019 level.

Icelandair, aiming to fully decarbonize its domestic network, signed an LOI with Universal Hydrogen in July to develop green hydrogen for fueling aircraft. Universal Hydrogen is a California-based startup developing a fuel distribution system in addition to an aftermarket hydrogen conversion kit, which could be utilized in Icelandair’s fleet of De Havilland Canada DHC-8-200 aircraft.

The LOI may expand in the future to include partnering in coordination with Icelandic hydrogen producers and airports. Icelandair has also previously signed an LOI on a electric aircraft project with Heart Aerospace to accelerate decarbonization in regional air travel.

Isavia works actively and consistently towards the following:

• Ensure good aviation services in Iceland and perform its role in society in a safe and efficient manner.
• Promote employee satisfaction and a good working environment.
• Develop an operation that is sustainable in the long term in co-operation and consultation with customers and other stakeholders.
• Treat the environment in a responsible and sustainable manner, reduce the company’s carbon footprint and thereby contribute to the reduction of its environmental impact.
• To publish information on CSR in accordance with the UN Global Compact principles and GRI. 

Naviair is a state-owned infrastructure company with status as a company owned by the Danish state represented by the Ministry of Transport. Naviair has been designated by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority to provide air navigation services.

Naviair’s mission

We will facilitate availability and mobility in airspace to support growth and safety in Denmark

Naviair’s vision

We will challenge one another to strike the right balance between capacity, service and costs to improve availability in Denmark. We will develop the infrastructure so that aviation can widen its reach and thus contribute to increased mobility in Denmark

Climate

Naviair takes responsibility for ensuring that the climate and sustainability remain at the forefront of our customers 'and employees' consciousness.

When it comes to the climate, Naviair's three main focus areas are as follows:

> An energy efficient Naviair.
> A Naviair that makes environmentally friendly purchases.

> A Naviair with a focus on a minimal resource consumption and increased recycling.

You can read more about Naviair and the climate on the Danish part of our website (Only available in Danish)

The RSB Principles & Criteria describe how to produce fuel, biomass and material products from bio-based and recycled carbon, including fossil waste, in an environmentally, socially and economically responsible way. Because of the RSB’s unique decision-making structure based on consensus among all relevant stakeholders, the RSB Principles & Criteria are recognised as best-in-class in addressing key sustainability issues in a comprehensive way.

The RSB Principles & Criteria are based on a management and risk-oriented approach. Together with the RSB’s online tools and related guidance documents, the RSB Principles & Criteria help operators to identify and manage sustainability issues in a specific context and therefore reduce risks for operators, brand owners and investors.

We are actively working to reduce the weight on board, improve and review all consumables on board, but the biggest investments are in new, modern and more energy efficient aircraft. In addition, SAS and Airbus signed a letter of intent in 2019 regarding research into developing electric aircraft. This is the first time an airline is starting a project with an aircraft manufacturer to introduce large-scale commercial use of electric aircraft. The collaboration with e.g. Preem and Air BP will mean that there will be access to more biofuel, which emits approx. 80 percent less CO2 than fossil aviation fuels.

The long-term goal is a climate-neutral flight. On our path towards emission free aircraft, SAS has a number of sub-goals.

To give some examples:

• By 2025, total climate-impacting CO2 emissions must be reduced by 25 percent compared to 2005
• By 2030, what corresponds to our entire domestic traffic in Scandinavia (2019: 17 percent) will operate on biofuel
• By 2030, noise must be reduced by 50 percent compared to 2010
• By 2050, we must have reduced our climate-impacting CO2 emissions by more than 50 percent compared to 2005. This is a goal that is more ambitious than that set by IATA, the International Air Transport Association

Therefore, for SkyNRG, sustainability is about much more than avoiding harmful impact. We believe that sustainability is about improving the status quo and realizing positive environmental and socio-economic impacts. Well-managed projects where SAF is produced in adherence to rigorous sustainability standards can have a profoundly positive effect on the region. For instance, this positive effect could be on enhanced biodiversity, significant CO₂ emission reductions, lessening the dependency on fossil energy sources, stimulation of local employment, and strengthening of local, regional, and national economies.

The plan is simple. We want to be in front in the industry, when it comes to terms of environmental work and considerations. This is be done by thinking sustainability in everything we do, and working purposefully with sustainable development by focusing on a number of concrete goals:

• Fossil fuel consumption must be reduced
• Consumption of chemicals and artificial substances must be reduced
• Resources must be used more efficiently, for example through recycling

We must emphasize the role of the environment, and make demands on our suppliers and partners. Employees must be motivated and involved so that they help to limit consumption and the impact on the environment.
We must deal with all ethical and social issues in our company, and communicate openly and honestly about our environmental work.

In 2020, Swedavia reached our goal of no fossil carbon dioxide emissions from the airport operations we run under our own management.

The next goal is for all the airports to achieve ACA 4+, which means including anti-skid treatment, de-icing agents and refrigerants in the measurements. We will also involve and collaborate with other companies and organisations with significant carbon dioxide emissions at the airports in order to reduce emissions together. In the long term, all operations at our airports will switch to renewable energy sources. This work is line with the IPCC’s scenario to limit global warming to 1.5⁰C above pre-industrial levels and with Swedavia’s strategy and goals for a proactive climate transition. Stockholm Arlanda Airport will be the first of our airports to be certified at this level in 2021.

We are focused on energy-efficient aircraft design that makes a difference. Our electric microliner can fly with the lowest energy consumption for up to 9 passengers plus crew, for distances up to 500 km. Its high aspect ratio wing provides minimum cruise drag and high glide ratio. To optimize the structural weight and therefore the travel distance even more, we integrate our batteries into the wing, not into the fuselage.

As the green revolution in aviation needs to happen now, we take the shortest route to certification and production by combining the best existing technology with engineering excellence. Services with our microliners will be operational before 2030, when conventional short-haul air travel will be restricted in a growing number of countries. No expensive, lengthy, and energy-intensive investments in infrastructure are needed to offer services with our microliner. It can land on large commercial airports as well as on small, regional airfields – of which there are thousands in Europe and in the USA.