Airline fuel efficiency improves but lags industry goals — Study

MONTREAL: Airline fuel efficiency on transatlantic flights has improved by one per cent a year since 2014 as carriers buy modern planes, but the industry still lags its own climate goals, a study released yesterday said.

The industry’s average fuel efficiency improved to 34 passenger kilometers per liter of fuel from 33 between 2014 and 2017 as carriers opted for modern aircraft with lower fuel burn and operated fuller planes, the study from the US-based International Council on Clean Transportation ( ICCT) said.

Airlines have been switching to more fuel- efficient aircraft in an attempt to mitigate the impact of high oil prices on their margins.

The aviation industry has also set a non-binding goal of capping emissions from international flights at 2020 levels, despite rising passenger traffic as global travel demand climbs.

In 2010, the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICCT) set a goal of 2 per cent annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050 for all international flights.

Airline trade group International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects an average improvement in fuel efficiency of 1.5 per cent per year on all international flights from 2009 to 2020.

While the study only looked at transatlantic flights, the ICCT said airlines will have to become more efficient to meet industry goals.

“New policies to accelerate investments in more fuelefficient aircraft and operations are critical if industry is to meet its long-term climate goals,” said Dan Rutherford, aviation program director for the US-based independent non-profit research organisation. — Reuters