Recently in Environment Category

The series of bio-derived jet fuel demonstration flights that commenced in 2008 with Virgin Atlantic and later Air New Zealand left no doubt biofuels could be a reality in aviation, and the flights helped start the biofuel certification processes.

As certification is now expected imminently, there is a debate emerging over what the next step should be.

If you're a government, you would follow US Representative Jay Inslee of Washington's view that airlines need to establish supply chains with feedstock farms to start the commercialization of biofuels. As he told Platts: "We know this works; we know we can fly airplanes. We've flown 747s; we've flown F-18s."

Airlines and supply chains agree that is a step, but not the next step. First they want the government to kickstart commercialization via funding and other financial means of support. They argue the investment risks are too high for them to swallow and if government funded biofuels, there would be large economic gains for the country. For that, see the recent CSIRO report that delivered a roadmap for the commercialization of biofuels, and a similar push underway in Germany. The first step?

The report says that now that the technical and commercial viability of biofuels is proven, "it is appropriate to take stock and review the range of government support mechanisms available." Although it noted that such a review was outside its scope, it added: "Mechanisms that directly target early stage commercialisation of the supply chain will be of most value as this is a priority for the sector."


The airlines delivered their verdict too. Here's Qantas head of risk and resilience John Valastro: "The government has said that it will back sectors that have the potential to create green jobs that help move Australia to a low-carbon economy. The report we're launching today clearly shows that aviation, through the use and development of sustainable aviation fuel, has the potential to be one of those sectors."

And Virgin Australia corporate advisory executive Merren McArthur: "None of us can solve this problem alone. Developing sustainable aviation fuel involves significant investment and research development. The solution will only be found through industry-wide initiatives and government support."

The report was a long-winded but substantiated argument for government to fund biofuels. Although a number of other steps were included on the roadmap--contract purchasing, infrastructure integration--the stakeholders knew those steps. Including them sends a message to government the industry has a plan and any funding received will not entail a large check with no destination or oversight, unlike the recent housing insulation initiative.

The CSIRO report eagerly touts economic gains of a biofuel industry: 12,000 jobs, particularly in rural areas along the eastern coast and much of Queensland, where there is potential for sugar to be a biofuel feedstock. Another gain is a potential industry that if some country--ideally Australia in this region--does not become a leader of, with knowledge and skill export capability, another country will be.


The CSIRO has fired the biofuel race shotgun, but the bullet will not hit for a while: an initial 500 jobs will be created, rising to 3,500 by 2020, and then 12,000 by 2030. Government is being asked to fund a worthwhile project that will not be realized in their term of office.

"Virgin Australia is seeking innovative ways to support the scale-up of biofuels and we hope to announce our investment in one of these projects in the coming months," said Merren McArthur, Virgin Australia's group executive for corporate advisory.

The airline is finalising an agreement for a land-based project with a "single type of process that can be used right across Australia with a range of feedstocks," said David White, the sustainability and climate change manager for Virgin Australia.

Virgin expects to soon announce an "aspirational target" of how much renewable energy sources could constitute its fuel needs in the short/medium-term, White said. "We're a member of IATA now and IATA has a whole of industry target. We support that, but we do have to look at the local context. We may be able to go beyond that. It may be less."

Like Qantas, Virgin's partnership will develop the biofuel locally. "[The project] has a strong regional connection in helping regional economies," White said. "We want to favour local, regional development when possible."

The project will also refine the feedstock locally, both for to drive a local industry and for logistical reasons.

Virgin airlines--including America, Australia, and Atlantic--are looking to collaborate on a biofuel industry serving their common port of Los Angeles.

One could observe based on the report that airlines now know what it is like to be today's passenger who desires service frills and a cheap ticket: airlines want biofuels but do not want to pay for them. Or as @enviroaero, an industry-funded group, succintly Tweeted: "Exciting times... We are just a few steps away from biofuels in passenger flights... now for the $$$ challenge!"

As Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano eruption brings operations to a halt at Melbourne airport and causes disruptions across the country, New Zealand, and to South America, the question to keep in the back of the mind is: has the Southern Hemisphere learned from the north about ash and its impact on flying?

It is an open-ended, not rhetorical, question. Europe, after all, remains divided on how accurate scientific data can be in predicting no-fly zones as well as the affect, or lackthereof, on aircraft flying through ash. (If you find yourself flying through ash, here is what Boeing said in a 1999 article are the nine steps to handle the situation.)

This region may only be entering day three of its ash cloud, but there are already some questions.

First, Jetstar and Qantas started cancelling domestic and trans-Tasman flights on Saturday and Sunday while Air New Zealand elected for its domestic services to fly below 20,000 feet, the lowest altitude the ash cloud was expected to be at. For its trans-Tasman services, Air New Zealand re-routed aircraft to avoid the ash.

"We can operate quite clearly, in the domestic airspace at altitudes below 20,000 feet quite safely and across the Tasman we initially start off at a low altitude then once clear of the predicted ash zones climb to normal cruising altitude," Air NZ chief pilot David Morgan said in a statement.

Qantas states its "approach to flying is based on our own high standards of safety and risk assessment. It is always safety before schedule. Qantas has significant experience in managing and assessing the impact of volcanic ash on flight operations."

Second, Virgin Australia declared it would halt all operations at Melbourne airport at 7pm Sunday night while Qantas selected 6pm. If the two are acting differently on the same information, why is there not coordination to maintain safety and operations? And if the two have two sets of information, why is there not one set?

Fortunately this region will not encounter Europe's main problem last year with Eyjafjallajökull: sever lack of information and coordination across borders. Just two air navigation service providers--Airservices and Airways--cover the bulk of the antipodean geography compared to the dozen-odd providers in Europe.

From a business, not operational, perspective, European airlines came out of the ash cloud with two key lessons learned: the need for large cash reserves and loosening of cross-border merger regulations. The former is obvious for airlines here, as they experienced over the past year with the New Zealand earthquakes and Queensland floods. The latter is not as direct and will lack thrust unless the Chilean ash cloud replicates Iceland's prolonged and widespread presence. Also, this region is well-liberalized compared to Europe, although Air New Zealand and Virgin may very well like foreign ownership restrictions lifted while Tiger would like to see its Australian business be permitted to fly internationally from Australia.

Some worthwhile links around Flightglobal about Europe's experience with ash cloud:

• Video: last year's ash cloud created the largest disruption in the history of air travel
• Last year's ruption upset could have been avoided
• Europe practices for next ash event
  
• European procedures coped with last month's small ash cloud
• Archive of all ash cloud reporting