The following is an excerpt from an article published by LARA in their Sustainability Special, August 2023
Net zero roadmaps have cited operational efficiencies as an important early part of the industry’s decarbonisation journey. Elena Lodge looks at fuel management software technologies being employed by airlines to determine how much of an impact they are truly making when it comes to the environment.
Some might have called it an unlikely pairing, yet the previously polar topics of aviation and sustainability now occupy the same space in conversation, in the industry-wide pledge dictating net zero aviation by 2050.
Should all run smoothly, this target will be the culmination of more than 25 years of transition, innovation and education.
Acting as a guide for this transitional period is the updated Sustainable Aviation (SA) Net Zero Carbon Roadmap, announced at the Sustainable Skies World Summit in April 2023.
Made up of an alliance of airlines, airports, manufacturers and service providers, the SA’s latest roadmap breaks down the gargantuan task of revolutionising aviation as we know it, splicing it into more easily managed sections.
These methods of mass transformation include fleet upgrades with both existing and future technologies, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon removals among others, all of which are still in development or aren’t yet operating at full scale.
To that end, the roadmap also identifies more presently attainable objectives. One of these is “improved airspace and aircraft operations”, which takes up a small but important 4% of the map.
This is where efficient fuel management will play its part. Airlines, airports and suppliers alike are increasingly investing in technologies to optimise their operations, with fuel management software becoming increasingly used by a number of airlines including low-fare carriers.
As this technology quickly becomes the new normal for commercial operations, what difference is it making, and which airlines are opting in?