European environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom has attacked Boeing vice chairman Harry Stonecipher over his alleged cavalier attitude to the potential environmental impact of the US manufacturer's proposed sonic cruiser high-speed transport.
In an open letter, Wallstrom refers to Stonecipher's comments in a UK newspaper and asks: "...Can it be true that you have brushed aside environmental concerns around your new aircraft so nonchalantly?"
Targeting Stonecipher's remarks about there being "plenty of fuel still around" and the "environmental bandwagon" she adds: "I find it hard to believe that anyone today could afford himself the luxury of a 'let's not think about tomorrow' attitude which runs diametrically opposed to the aims of sustainable development."
Boeing says it plans to respond to the attack: "We acknowledge that these things were said and nobody is arguing with that." However, it says Stonecipher's statement that the sonic cruiser will burn up to 35% more fuel than other aircraft "is wrong". The company says the high-speed aircraft will be designed to have a baseline fuel consumption "in the same sort of area as current big twins". It admits, however, that fuel burn during sustained high-speed flight could be as much as 20% higher.
Wallstrom's letter, sent to Stonecipher on 25 June, asks "...whether a one-hour time saving on a transatlantic flight is worth a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change. In my view, this environmental price is simply not worth paying.
"Aircraft emissions already contribute to about 3.5% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions and are expected to double over the next 10 to 15 years. Instead of building ever faster planes, your industry should work towards improved environmental performance, dramatically improving the efficiency of aircraft and developing aircraft powered by alternatives to fossil fuel. This applies to Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers alike."
Source: Flight International
