It is believed that aviation is responsible for 2.5 per cent of global emissions and 12 per cent of transportation emissions. While the aviation industry’s share in India’s CO2 emissions is 1 per cent, as one of the fastest-growing service sectors, its emissions are set to ratchet up in the coming years.
India will experience the most significant increase in energy demand through 2040 than any other country. Being the world’s fifth-largest economy makes India and our aviation industry inextricably linked and energy-hungry. A billion people are expected to join India’s middle class by 2030 and are likely to start flying. Each of the stakeholders in the travel industry will be pushed towards sustainability to meet the country’s pledge of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070 and generate 500GW of power from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
According to a CEEW report, domestic air travel is set to dominate India’s CO2 emissions in 2050 due to the high emission intensity of air travel and zero direct emissions of the electrified road transport sector which is expected to reach a market share of 75 per cent during the same period.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has identified four areas where we must act to enable the sustainable growth of aviation and address climate change.
1. Technology: To reduce energy use and introduce advanced airframes and engines.
2. Air Traffic Management and Operations: Airports and airlines need to figure out greener options, be it direct routing or gliding around to a landing.
3. Market-Based Measures: Such as carbon offsetting and reduction schemes.
4. Sustainable Aviation Fuels: The use of which could result in up to 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.
Over the next three decades, there is a huge opportunity to introduce alternative energy sources in the aviation industry. There are various sustainable energy options available today: Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), LH2 Direct Combustion, H2 Fuel Cells, and Battery Electric are some of the key ones. With small aircraft for regional and short-haul flights, there are new market opportunities to use electric sources of energy.
SAF is the most immediate and largest potential solution. No technical approval is required for blended SAF usage on Boeing airplanes and no changes are required for aircraft or engines to utilize this energy source. Its cultivation and production have a smaller carbon footprint than traditional jet fuel and it impacts a broader sustainability scale as its feedstock does not cannibalize food production, use excess water, lead to incremental land clearing or deforestation, nor affect soil fertility and biodiversity.
India can be a significant hub for SAF feedstock. According to experts at the WEF’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative, 166 million tons of feedstock is available each year, derived from cooking oil, municipal solid waste, sugar streams, and agricultural residues. These can yield more than 22 million tons of SAF annually. By plugging the global supply chain with lower cost and abundant feedstock for SAF, India could solve one of the world’s most challenging problems.
While the prohibitive cost of SAF, 200-500 per cent more expensive, continues to spur debate, the much-discussed goal of carrying 100 million passengers in India on at least 10 per cent SAF by 2030 would mean a cost difference of $335 million. A close collaboration of the government with the aviation industry and entrepreneurs could help us achieve this goal.
Starting from July 11, 2024, Akasa Air will operate daily direct flights between Mumbai and Abu Dhabi, enhancing travel connectivity between India and the UAE. Bookings are now available on Akasa Air’s website, mobile apps and various OTAs. Having launched its international operations with flights to Doha in March 2024, followed by Jeddah and Riyadh, Akasa Air’s expansion to Abu Dhabi strengthens its presence in the Gulf region.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal published an article about Sustainable Aviation where it mentioned that the International Air Transport Association has factored the cost of SAF per seat to be about the cost of a soda or snack in the food court before getting on a domestic flight. A long-haul flight is a meal before you board your flight. The reality per seat isn’t as expensive as we may be attributing to sustainability.
Airlines globally, covering 34 per cent of global passengers and 40 per cent of global RPKs, have already committed to a significant proportion of their fuel uplift in 2030 being SAF. We can accelerate this journey through supportive government policies, feedstock diversity, thorough R&D to enable cost competitiveness, supply growth, access to capital for new production, and market-based incentives to make SAF price competitive.
As India’s fastest-growing and greenest airline, Akasa Air is a conscious environmentally progressive company. Our Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines incorporating advanced technology winglets, that offer excellent economics, reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 per cent. Moreover, the Boeing 737 is a quieter aircraft, creating a 50 per cent less noise footprint and offering 20 per cent lower airframe maintenance costs.
We also have sustainably curated crew uniforms that feature trousers and jacket fabric that have been specially developed using recycled polyester fabric from pet bottle plastic salvaged from marine waste. Even our crew shoes are made from recycled rubber. We have eco-friendly inflight meal packaging for all perishable meals which is 100 per cent recyclable and made from paper which is ethically sourced from sustainably grown crops. The wooden cutlery on board is also biodegradable. Moreover, passengers can pre-book their meals before flying with Café Akasa to avoid any wastage.
We continue to go green with our airport support, and operations, but our culture is paving a greener tarmac. We have adopted several best practices in waste management across operations with the usage of biodegradable bags and waste management products. A small step that goes a long way was to let go of the ceremonial water canon salutes at flight/route inaugurations, saving 368,000 litres of water to date.
The electrification of aircraft also has a huge scope. Electric aircraft not only promises reduced emissions but also more time-efficient flying. The global electric aircraft market size was valued at $8.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $23.5 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 10.9 per cent from 2022 to 2031.
Road traffic congestion is a problem globally; we spend around 3 years of our lives stuck in traffic. In India, as of 2022, there were 450 million registered vehicles on the road. On average, it is noted that people spend 260 hours yearly in rush hour traffic emitting 250 million tonnes of CO2. The electrification of aircraft and aerial mobility opens up a new dimension to solve this problem.
In India, the ePlane Company is creating the world’s most compact flying electric taxi for intracity travel. Incubated out of IIT, Madras, and founded by Professor Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, “The ePlane Company” is building India’s first eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) transportation system aimed at making air travel more sustainable and alleviating on-road traffic congestion in cities worldwide by offering safe, sustainable, and affordable flying experiences.
For the last 20 years, aviation and technology companies have been working hard to create sustainable aviation solutions. I believe that technology can help serve as a bridge while the industry acts on multi-year plans to reduce its emissions.
Every challenging problem is an opportunity for entrepreneurship to shine through and India can play a leading role in bringing true sustainability to global aviation as our response to rapid climate change.
The author is the Co-Founder of Akasa Air.
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