As a growing contributor to carbon emissions, particularly CO₂, reducing the environmental impact of aviation is essential. Whether by helping you access SAF Credits or securing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), CFP Energy leads in decarbonising aviation. If you’d like to see how quickly your business can access RECs or SAF Credits, get started here.
The Challenge: Why is Aviation Hard to Decarbonise?
Aviation, as an energy-intensive and long-haul form of transport, is a notoriously hard-to-abate sector. As a result, decarbonisation efforts can often run into setbacks, even in a regulatory environment where SAF is set to reach 10% of the fuel mix by 2030.
The most common and hard-to-address problems affecting sustainable air travel are:
Airplane design
- Because of inherent weight and space constraints, aircraft are limited in fuel and storage capacity. Lithium-ion batteries, for instance, although more sustainable than fossil fuels, are currently too heavy for most aircraft to accommodate.
Long-term Innovation Cycles
- A significant stock of long-lived equipment and infrastructure has been optimised for fossil fuels. By prioritising long-term efforts, and by moving away from legacy technologies, airlines can support sustainable growth.
Cost at Scale
- From retrofitting existing fleets to new airport infrastructure (e.g., hydrogen refuelling), meeting sustainability targets requires significant challenges of scale. Stakeholders at all levels must collaborate to achieve these goals.
Market Uncertainty
- Market uncertainty is another issue that makes aviation carbonisation an ongoing challenge. Airlines must navigate a patchwork of regulations, carbon pricing mechanisms, and SAF mandates to achieve decarbonisation.
The ultimate goal of decarbonising aviation is to ensure that air travel remains a viable industry for years to come. From complex carbon pricing mechanisms to the evolving regulations that mandate SAF requirements, expert advice is essential to this end.
At CFP Energy, we’ve got 20 years of experience in navigating the carbon market. To help you navigate the complexities, contact our team of carbon experts today.
Pathways to Sustainable Flight
From research and development to optimising existing infrastructure, there is a range of strategies and technologies to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
SAF represents one of the quickest ways airlines can reduce their emissions. Made from biomass and waste byproducts, such as used cooking oil and corn oil, that contribute to a closed carbon cycle, SAF helps bring airlines in line with ETS regulations.
Operational Efficiency
Operational measures, such as flight path and air traffic management, can also reduce emissions. With AI tools such as Flyways AI, for instance, airlines can target the best routes to reduce travel time and thereby reduce carbon emissions.
New Aircraft Technologies
Hydrogen and electric power are helping to shape the future of air travel. Hybrid-Electric Aircraft are currently being developed by companies like Vertical Aerospace to help reduce emissions. Similarly, to support more significant carbon emissions reductions, Airbus is developing hydrogen-powered concepts under its ZEROe programme, with commercial service scheduled for 2035.
Driving the Change: Innovation and Collaboration
Decarbonising aviation presents a unique set of challenges hard-to-abate industry heavily dependent on outdated infrastructure. However, with widespread cooperation between airlines, manufacturers, fuel producers, and governments, ambitious climate targets can be achieved.
Technologies like hydrogen-y batteries, which can achieve net zero emissions where the cells are responsibly made and sourced, are already making headlines for their efficiency gains.
SAF, meanwhile, particularly as a ‘drop-in’ fuel, where blends like HEFA-SPK or FT-SPK can be used in existing aircraft engines, represents an accelerated pathway to achieving instant gains.
But there is also plenty of scope for airlines to introduce their initiatives to effect a speedier transition. These include pilot incentive programmes to ensure they fly and taxi more efficiently. Or even imposing stricter operational weight limits to reduce fuel consumption
Bolder moves could also include customer experience, such as reducing long-haul flights, limiting catering on short-haul flights, or fitting out cabins to include extra seats.
Tackling Aviation Carbonisation for a Greener Future
As governments intensify carbon pricing and compliance requirements across the aviation sector, the business case for the decarbonisation of the aviation industry is clear.
With a raft of evolving standards – from the UK ETS to EU ETS alignment to CORSIA’s passing of its first official phase – companies that delay in making the transition to the new regulatory environment risk not only financial penalties but reputational harm. To ensure that both voluntary carbon and compliance carbon targets are met, companies must act now.
The significant lead times of scaling up SAF, as well as the numerous obstacles involved in upgrading dated infrastructure and longstanding aircraft designs, heighten the urgency for companies across the aviation value chain to act quickly with the necessary expertise.
At CFP Energy, with access to SAF and SAF Credits, and with 20 years’ experience accessing and monitoring carbon and biofuel markets across Europe, we’re perfectly positioned to help you decarbonise your emissions and achieve Net Zero in a sector that’s constantly evolving.
Learn how your company can integrate SAF Book & Claim into its carbon strategy today.
