On Wednesday 21 September, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published the 2022 edition of its environmental report for European aviation, which analyses the evolution of the sector since 2019.
“Europe has taken considerable steps since the last edition of this report. This is, for example, in lower CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre and less aircraft noise. But the report also shows that more can and should be done, with sustainable aviation fuels showing particular potential, in line with our EU policy approach”, said EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean.
In detail, the report acknowledges that the airline industry has “taken steps to address its impact” on the environment. However, it notes that more needs to be done since the EU and European Free Trade Association countries could see around 12.2 million flights a year by 2050. This compares with a peak of 9.3 million flights in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the first time, this report, which is published every three years, also includes recommendations for dealing with the 188 million tonnes of CO2 that would be emitted by aircraft in such a scenario, and if it were the case that measures to protect the environment were not further implemented.
In practical terms, EASA believes that incentives could be put in place to encourage airspace users to fly routes that have a lower environmental impact, in line with the provisions of the Single European Sky (see EUROPE 13008/9).
Furthermore, the authors of the report advocate internal measures within the aviation sector, starting with the deployment of sustainable fuels.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Council started discussions on this topic on 8 September (see EUROPE 13017/10). This text is one of the major components of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, presented in July 2020 by the European Commission, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
See the EASA report: https://aeur.eu/f/37h (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)