Aviation Technology
Article | July 26, 2022
Experience is Everything—human or mechanical. But Get it Right.
"AI's potential doesn't solely lie in its ability to improve business efficiency. Rather it lies in its ability to bridge the gap between businesses and customers. AI-powered communications enable for surged personalized and strengthening of information, stimulating customer trust and customer experiences."
- Kevin Gosschalk, CEO, Arkose Labs, in a conversation with Media 7.
Whether you make payments with a single tap in apps, ask Alexa to instruct in your smartphones, select Google assistance to find flights, or connect to airline companies, digital transformation is omnipresent. So, the appreciation comes naturally for how today's digital atmosphere transforms and affects our lives in every way.
Yes, you heard that right!
Using Google assistance to find flights is not the new way the industry uses AI. Instead, it has enhanced its way of AI usage into its process and operations. Like other businesses, aviation businesses are catching up well in using data and technology. With the help of these, they now create more compelling and prompter customer experiences.
The developments and revenues in the global aviation industry are skyrocketing. The industry expects almost 8.2 billion passengers to fly around the world by 2037. The rising numbers are because of digital transformation. The most interesting thing is aviation now has to manage high expectations of digital-savvy customers. It will be even more interesting now!
Before the blog breaks into discussing the futuristic airline customer experience, let's look at the flashback of the past customer experience scenarios (challenges) that prevailed in the airline industry.
Past Customer Experience Scenario in Airline
The aviation industry in 2018 recorded 4.4 billion passengers flying around the world. Furthermore, according to the IATA reports, the count is anticipated to reach 8.2 billion by 2037. But the industry is increasingly lacking behind in customer experience.
Complex booking procedures and missing out on the best flight offers because of complex app/website navigation and other potential customer services are issues raised in air travel today. Apart from this, customers also raise concerns over inflight infotainment systems. The systems merely do their job. Therefore, as many airport terminals are still empty, customer service representatives are working harder to overcome such issues.
As the industry has stepped into the fourth industrial revolution, AI rewards the best experiences for travels and other airline customer services. Now, airline marketers can find diverse AI-based digital solutions to sail through the cloud. And the findings are quite remarkable.
Let's come to the part where you will know how AI is helping the aviation industry scale its customer services.
How Can AI Enrich Airline and Scale Customer Services?
Airlines that leverage AI customer experience have had a significant advantage during the pandemic time. Their insights have been put into enriching the entire aviation business. Let's understand the 'how.'
Get Multiple Output in Seconds
When the demand for air fly rise, offering immediate services for customer handling teams becomes stressful. However, with AI, instances like this get a perfect solution.
AI can handle an infinite number of customers' demands at once. By leveraging AI-based digital solutions, you can scale up fulfilling airline operations in seconds. As a result, teams in your firm can easily diminish the increased demand for services and serve remarkable customer experience.
The benefit of AI can also be seen crosswise support channels. For instance, WestJet's ticket volume surged by 71% on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp during the beginning weeks of COVID-19 disruption in North America. However, the airline kept its response time low as its virtual agent Juliet ultimately resolved 87% of tickets.
Identity New and Trending Issues
Aviation is an industry of challenges. Issues and obstacles keep knocking on the door of airline companies. In such cases, AI informs if there are any trending issues over channels. For example, during the COVID-19 outbreak, new onboard safety issues and questions towards social distancing surfaced for the first time. However, airlines have never come through about social distancing. So, by leveraging AI, they created a responsive plan for customers. They communicated the same through AI-enabled solutions on websites and applications.
In response to the coronavirus, Gartner suggests that companies should use chatbots in digital channels to focus on the most ordinarily asked questions to give solutions for customers.
Feedback Analysis
Air travel can be stressful at times, even for frequent and experienced travelers. For example, it could be passport-related or booking tickets, baggage checks, ticket prints, arrivals, departures, seat assistance, etc.
So, by analysis of data, artificial intelligence in customer experience learns about these pain points of airports and flight experiences. In this way, customer experience can be improved and enhanced simultaneously.
Then comes feedback. Using AI for feedback analysis, airlines can research the market. It can make informed decisions related to processes and operations.
"AI systems can quickly allow airlines to discover opportunities to intervene in the customer journey and turn a miserable experience into a delightful one. It also allows companies to respond faster in a synchronized and regulated way that is uniform with the business's values. Ultimately, we want to understand how an airline can fascinate a customer as well as where there is an abrasion in the customer journey and figure out how to fix it,"
- CEO of PureStrategy Inc. Briana Brownell
Briana highlights the growing relevance of natural language used in AI. Understanding technology in the processing and analysis of customer experience data thus allows businesses to explore the customer journey in their own words.
For example, ANIE, an AI assistance, can help customers find, book, and pay for flights.
Effective Communication
The speed of responsive communication to customer queries is highly considered to resolve issues. For example, airport issues like flight delays or baggage loss crop up quite often throwing. As a result, travelers usually get into a state of nervousness. However, when they do not get a response or explanation to their problems, they start considering other airlines for their future trips.
In these cases, AI software deployment can speed up and simplify services, automatically enhancing airline customer experience. In addition, effective customer emails with exact information can also solve significant issues and streamline employees' workflow using natural text.
Another way to automate and improve airline customer experience is chatbot development. Today, many airlines enhance their customer support with AI-powered chatbots on their websites and mobile applications.
The Business Insider’s research report says that by 2022, over 80% of airline businesses are likely to have chatbot automation implemented in operations.
These chatbots help passengers with bookings, managing flight schedules, and updating customers about general flight information. In addition, they can post queries and other types of assistance to get quick responses.
Self-Services at Airports
Easy self-check-ins, ticket booths, and overall communication (from booking to destination arrival) add to the comprehensive AI-based digital solutions.
The pandemic forced the aviation industry to witness the extraordinary rise of numerous contactless technologies. So, airports are now more focused on providing self-services for customers. These include contactless payments, luggage checks, robotic assistance for queries, and more like these.
Self-service systems in airports are critical automated systems. AI technology is installed to automate passenger journeys without any hurdles.
Today, airline companies and airports implement an end-to-end solution using artificial intelligence in customer experience to facilitate smooth passenger air travel and operations. In case of point, Delta Airlines, one of the world's largest global airlines, uses intelligent systems such as Fly to Gate by Thales. The system works with biometrics technology. The employees use it for the document scanning process to recognize and verify passengers at security checks.
Such technology reduces passenger check-in time and improves customer experience.
Future of AI Customer Experience in Airline Industry
There are many shreds of evidence that customers increasingly want a personal touch with their communications. They adore personalized services. Even airline companies are seeking profound connections with their customers. And this is the right time to act by offering personalized customer experiences.
Today, AI makes it possible for the entire airline industry to enhance customer experience with automation, provide self-service solutions, ensure safe air travel, and more. Technology is a powerful tool for airlines to make informed decisions that they couldn't take in the past few years. Now airlines can make decisions faster on essential decisions such as on pricing of tickets by analyzing data, enabling secure authentication of customers than before.
Ultimately, the success of artificial intelligence in customer experience is driven by having a deep understanding of different customer segments. By harnessing the power of conversational AI, airline businesses can improve their ROI, nurture long-term customer relationships, metrics being the core elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can airline companies improve their customer experience?
To improve customer experience, airline companies can follow these ways:
Focus on knowing the target audience
Meet unique and specific customer needs
Keep customers engaged on social media platforms
Make smart customer-targeted decisions
Be responsive towards customers
How does AI play its role in aviation concerning customer experiences these days?
AI plays a crucial role in helping customers in aviation to find the correct information more efficiently. It actively helps analyze customers' data and recommend services based on their browsing preferences about flights.
How does AI improve customer experience?
AI enables the power to strengthen customer engagement, encourage activities, and improve customer retention. Although not a replacement for human beings, it does help increase the efficiency of serving — like answering frequently asked questions, providing the correct information, and being available 24*7.
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Design and Engineering
Article | January 7, 2022
What are the aviation marketing questions B2B audiences are asking in 2021?
It is always beneficial to study the market scenario and your competitors when starting a new marketing plan. It provides you with a better vision and explores opportunities to become the best in the market and which marketing approach to take. Before you start planning your marketing in aviation, there are a few things you should sort out first.
So, start your strategy by taking note of some important marketing questions!
Important Questions to Create an Aviation Marketing Plan
Are aviation businesses doing more or less marketing in 2022?
What are the best-performing aviation marketing campaigns?
What marketing strategies are unused in the aviation industry?
What are the international aviation marketing trends?
Which social media do aviation marketing professionals use for marketing?
How do aviation professionals plan the finance for marketing?
How do market leaders optimize their websites and build a brand image?
Keeping these questions beside you, follow the tips to create a prolific aviation marketing plan.
Tips at your Fingers
Tip One: Things to do—Image Vs. Words
Usage of images (visuals) has become influential to do marketing in aviation. While the industry has always focused on verbal content, both are equally important, but in different marketing ways. Let’s understand the following:
SEO: Images can’t do well when doing optimization. But words are the main component in optimization in blogs, articles, whitepapers, webinars, and more.
Social media: Images are becoming more perusable and are more understood by audiences. Whereas words are compelling to get more visitors to the website.
Website content: In this, both usages of images and content are important to connect with the audience and market well.
It’s crucial to watch the latest aviation industry trends to plan your marketing efforts. Referring to that, you can make the most of materials using images like:
• Display & explain products
• Create presentation showing numeric data
• Create videos out of content
• A sales presentation
Remember, now prospects are emotionally persuaded to purchase products and services. This will lead you to grab more and better aviation business opportunities. You have to be quick and pick up to make the deal yours. Being interactive in your image creation is the better way to show your audience your ideology.
Tip Two: Create One Idea at Once
Any marketing plan should start from one idea at a time. To proceed with it, think and consider— “what is the one thing you want your audience, visitors, or potential targets to understand and get solutions for?
It is necessary to analyze first because most marketing sales professionals remain muddled with the motive behind their marketing efforts. Therefore, it’s better to refrain from yourself and try to ideate one concept at a time. In other words, everything you create should support that ONE idea!
Tip Three: Branding is key!
Branding is visual. Visuals appeal to prospects in the aviation industry.
Is your brand instantly recognizable to your prospects? If not, you need to pay more heed to it.
Your brand is more than any other asset that communicates your story.
A creative and reflective brand image is one of the impactful aviation industry trends most aviation professionals focus on. It’s vital because visuals have an appealing factor. In addition, the professionals in the aviation industry, engage and trust information displayed than told to them. So, create a visual brand image that tells a story.
Another most important thing is to add testimonials to your brand. Yes! Video testimonials are much more potent because it comes from your prospects. Make a “wish list” of prospects you would like to get a testimonial from and add it to your website!
Tip Four: Campaign it! With RIGHT message
Before you head towards creating campaigns for marketing in aviation, remember that every campaign needs these three elements:
• A great list
• A great offer
• And a great presentation
If any of these elements lack the motive, you won’t be successful. An example of it is a general digital magazine advertisement. It has a numerous list of subscribers, beautiful design, conceptualization, but no specific offer or a call to action. The reader won’t take any interest in responding to that particular ad. Such campaigns face severe failure!
But if your campaign has the base of these elements, you can expect a good ROI for your business.
Tip Five: Social Media Secrets
There is always some information hidden in the news or something that your community or industry talks about. So, it is good to keep a watch on such matters to generate good content. Social media is the most preferred platform to do such activities today.
You probably don’t have time to get involved in every social media channel. So, it's better to involve in one channel than to be on multiple. So, watch the new, set up analytics for key topics important in the industry, and let inspiration spread in the form of information through your marketing materials like infographics, slides, images, and more.
As Hootsuit studied on social media usage by marketing leaders, let’s have a quick look at which social media do aviation professionals use for marketing mostly.
LinkedIn
Rare: 0%
Monthly: 31%
Weekly: 25%
Daily: 57%
Facebook
Monthly: 13%
Weekly: 9%
Daily: 20%
Twitter
Monthly: 17%
Weekly: 14%
Daily: 25%
Instagram
Monthly: 4%
Weekly: 11%
Daily: 3%
YouTube
Monthly: 21%
Weekly: 14%
Daily: 10%
These indicate that your competitors mostly use LinkedIn and Facebook channels for marketing because aviation professionals are most likely to be using these channels frequently. If you produce interesting information, you can build a strong online audience.
Tip Six: Bag the deal with 15 Second Sales Presentation
Sales & sale—do it the right way!
What do you say when a prospect asks you, “What do you do?” Here your 20-second sales presentation works in a roomful of sales-interested prospects!
Sale is a process. If you have the proper steps to follow intelligently, you will have much better results. But remember, it should be contented and compelling to the right people, but non-pitchy.
Follow these tips to deliver a fantastic presentation within seconds:
• Reflect your USP (unique selling proposition)
• Your company’s tagline
• Keep it amazingly short
• Avoid usage of over hyperbole— for example “We have most unbelievably wonderfully grand aviation products for you”
• Be concise, professional, and elegant
• Use non-technical language
• Tell benefits than features
• Use examples when necessary
Deliver an approachable, responsive, and simple presentation that makes your prospect say, “Tell me more about that!”
Apart from this, sales are also about passion. And if a prospect senses your passion for what you do, they become much comfortable with your offerings!
So, do your homework. Prepare for it in advance. Know everything you can about the prospect; its company, services, mode of work, and more. Then have a faithful and specific objective in mind for each sales call. This will find your prospect’s best interest to discover more, take the conversation deeper, and thus, no one can stop you from getting the deal done.
Tip Seven: Plan an Editorial Calendar
An editorial calendar is crucial when it comes to marketing—branding, sales, and relationship building.
Providing highly informational content to your prospects allows interacting.
To simply put, your calendar is the best cover page. It will help to align the process of marketing items such as:
• Planned campaigns
• Webinars
• Seasonal events
• Launches
• expenses
Planned marketing will bring fascinating aviation business opportunities and will stimulate the aviation industry growth.
Tip Eight: Be Financially Strong!
This is a crucial part. Finance is what your top management wants to see. It is easy to come up with a huge, long, unproductive, and unrealistic marketing plan. However, planning a reasonable one that is capable of bringing success and probability together is truly an art. So, ensure to make an advanced one with a monthly income statement and include assumptions you make.
Marketing in aviation is growing fast and is not expected to be sluggish anytime soon. With the rising aviation industry trends, it's easy to see opportunities beyond 2021. Therefore, all you need is an all-inclusive plan by following these tips. They will help you learn online aviation marketing solutions to increase traffic, ROI, brand image, and of course, raise conversation rates.
After completing your marketing planning, read further to get familiar with using effective marketing strategies that will bring effective change to your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the tips for creating an aviation marketing plan?
Aviation marketing has nothing different from other marketing ways. It is just you need to pay attention to the range of audiences is in the aviation industry. However, here are some more tips:
• Optimize your every content generation
• Display your potential to the audience
• Pay attention to ads
• Leverage paid ads
• Do email
What is the importance of marketing in aviation?
Aviation not only deals with passengers; it includes businesses to make money. For that, marketing plays a vital role in making people aware of product selling or providing services. It drives awareness of products, creates a brand image, builds trust among buyers, and provides valuable information to the audience in various forms using various channels.
What is the difference between selling and marketing?
Selling makes money directly from the prospects. While marketing is all about serving solutions and satisfying prospect needs. The method includes different stages—planning, analyzing, monitoring, execution, promotion, and distribution.
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Leverage paid ads
Do email"
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Air Transport
Article | July 26, 2022
The COVID-19 effect has been tendered on business aviation than commercial aviation. However, it is the operations that reported a surge in demand for business aviation. The demand has been witnessed from new businesses and and those who revamped their operations amid travel restrictions.
In 2020, the airline industry experienced a heavy loss of worth USD252 billion, reports IATA. The industry players were at risk, which included accounting with direct economic destruction. Prompted by other risks factors such as restrictions on movements, especially travel limitations due to COVID-19, there is a serious need for the industry to access its operations competently.
So here are two crucial questions that took the heat. First, how is the industry going to manage economic uncertainties, travel restrictions, and market instability? And second, how may these affect aviation business conclusions in the coming years?
Such considerations may include some crucial aspects. They are changes in valuation methods, revision of future investments with existing liabilities, re-assessment of forecasted fuel consumption, revision of manufacturing, marketing, and others.
This blog is aimed at capturing the impact of COVID-19. And how business aviation can proceed to bridge gaps across multiple travel restrictions, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. To delve into detail, let's go further.
The Level of Airline Business Drop and Recovery
Globally, the aviation businesses were severely harmed by 80% in 2020. The industry players found it extremely complex to navigate the commitments. Also, their work with collaborations is slated for the same year.
Customers seemed uninterested in discussing new business acquisitions due to COVID travel restrictions on business. However, some operators preyed on lower prices and increased demand for aviation services and products. These were mainly in the manufacturing and marketing fields. The reason is some corporate clients easily adapted to the emergence of digital platforms. They switched to zoom calls to replace personal contacts and connections.
Michael Walsh, CEO of Aer Mobi, says,
“OEMs have now announced a major drop in production capacity. Potential buyers could be from booming sectors financial services and online sales as they may seek to purchase high-profit products. These will be only a few brilliant spots for new aircraft purchases for OEMs.”
On the same note, Shaun Quigley, Managing Director, Volantair Air Charter, says
“In the time of crisis, the ability is to “pull one’s head in." This is what will happen at least until the final quarter of 2021.”
Business aviation in 2021 will hover around 25% to 30% globally, says Jose Rego, Senior Director – Market Intelligence and Strategy, Embraer Executive Jets. The rebound will be sluggish until 2025.
While the travel businesses' situation in the pandemic is not up to mark, its believed that digital transformation is viable to conduct airline operations. Such transformation will drive sales eventually following the rise of trending technologies simultaneously.
Aviation Business by 2030
A major transformation is promised by an array of powerful new technologies and corporate clients’ pressure. The industry plays that turn this trend to their advantage have the opportunity to redefine, restructure, reform, and reshape their business amid air travel restrictions.
So how will the key players of the aviation sector take their businesses forward by 2025 and beyond? Here is the outline of vital forces that the sector will see transforming.
Robotics Maintenance
Currently, airline operations maintenance accounts for approximately 20% of the operating costs. However, as the pandemic happened, market players and novel inventions are placing big hopes on the intelligent automation of maintenance.
For example, Airbus uses two seven-axis robots on the new fourth A320 line in Hamburg to conduct 80% of their business operations, thus improving functional aspects for employees.
Intelligent automation is fueled by terabytes of data. The data could be stored and used by businesses to manage operations easily. The addition of robotics and AI in aviation has increased the digitalization shift landscape for established players. From automatic scanning, data mining to improved diagnostics, robotics has a significant role in the future of aviation operations and maintenance.
Use of Alternative Sources of Energy
The shifting of environmental sentiments has made the aviation industry include greenhouse gases, electrofuels, hydrogen, and even batteries. The industry has set a target of cutting down high energy emitter fuels by half by 2030.
Companies like Airbus have impressive plans to develop hydrogen planes in the next 15 years. Even for eleven years, SkyNRG has been known for supplying "advanced waste" biofuels to airlines. These fuels are recycled from industrial waste, cooking oil, agricultural and forestry residues.
New technologies from engineering and manufacturing of aerodynamic are going to play a significant role in upcoming airline trends like specialized and improved designs and the use of carbon-efficient biofuels and electric
In this case, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) research found out that around 5.5% of aviation fuel could come from sustainable origins by 2030. Basically, it would be primarily from advanced waste biofuels.
Aviation Business: Witnessing Some Hope
There is an anticipation that the established aviation businesses will pick up their pace by 2022 amid COVID 19 restrictions.
Interestingly, there has been a pick up in air travel (essential air travel) in a specific part of the world. However, in some Asian countries, travel activity is estimated to be less than 40%. But the travel demand is expected to be higher in the years ahead.
Aviation business operators expect expanded business with new criteria of sales—digital. They might witness growth due to new prospect acquisitions that have adopted the digital workforce. The businesses expect green shoots of growth in the travel industry. Especially from business travel classes as these are seeking to experience fly again.
Business aviation traffic in 2021 highlighted the growing interest from buyers. On this, Jose Rego, Senior Director – Market Intelligence and Strategy, Embraer Executive Jets elaborates,
“There may be a peripheral surge in demand from first-time buyers; I expect this to affect fractional sales initially.”
Therefore, now IATA estimates that governments globally will provide $160 billion in support, loans, and tax breaks so that airline businesses can cover current costs.
Safety is Priority, so is Business
The aviation industry acclaims that business aviation might be on track sooner. In this context, the presence of a qualified team and fast-track applications, software, and platforms could help operators to function in a safe and well-maintained way.
As the aviation industry continues to plan new air travel rules (essential), aviation business is at an optimum point. Its crucial role in supplies, sales, business development, and essential air travel services has redefined the face of business. Thus, in this way aviation business has paved the way to make a strong comeback in the coming years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can future measures due to the pandemic suggest for the aviation industry?
Airline businesses must have a robust plan which establishes the core of business aviation. The future is for market leaders. How they will manage roles and responsibilities responding to the crisis. Finally, national authorities will have a crucial role in stimulating demand and fostering the rapid recovery of the airport business. Restoring consumer confidence will be an essential part of this effort.
What is the COVID-19 advice for the aviation industry?
The global market leaders are actively managing the impact of COVID-19 to ensure aviation safety and to support the industry’s return to normal safety assurance activities. They have put efforts on surveillance approach on every business operation to increase accuracy by introducing technologies.
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Design and Engineering
Article | December 28, 2021
Can the aviation industry have a net zero-carbon emissions? Can technology assist in achieving net-zero emissions?
Presently, customers are taking more flights than ever as the industry is set to grow post-pandemic effects. Data from IATA shows that the UK aviation industry alone ejected thirty-seven million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere in 2020. That’s an average of 9% more in tonnes of emission the industry recorded in 2018.
The warnings are transparent. In the latest reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of global warming are escalating.
“We know the challenges of climate change the world is facing. It has only continued to intensify,”
-Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America
Airlines are subsequently embracing their actions towards the recovery of their business. There is a need to take even braver, more momentous steps to address this challenge.
Airlines have been focused on carbon offset programs for years. It has previously invested in projects and organizations that assist in reducing the impact of CO2 emissions.
In March 2021, the U.S. airline industry announced that its market leaders are committed to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The aviation industry is currently rising at between 4% and 5% a year. And the number of passengers will double every 15-20 years. How will the industry let fly with zero emissions? Certain plans strongly focus on the increasing use of sustainable aviation fuel and jet fuel. These fuels are produced from sources such as plant oils, municipal waste, agricultural residue, fossil fuels, and other interim steps.
The blog accumulates some of the best ways that aviation has unveiled on the grounds of zero carbon emissions.
Escalating the Use of Alternative Fuel
The escalating use of alternative fuels is perhaps the most significant proposed carbon reduction initiative for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) usage. Sustainable fuel is going to be created from plant or animal material. One of the examples is waste oil.
It is studied that SAF has the potential to cut life-cycle emissions from aviation by 80%. It can be blended with conventional jet fuel without making major changes in aircraft designs. But, as technology is concerned with SAF usage, it can be eight times more expensive than conventional jet fuel. SAF currently values less than 0.1% of the almost 300 million tonnes of fuel that commercial airlines use every day.
some companies are taking regulatory incentives in joint efforts with aviation after looking at the costs and ensuring that more SAF is used in the future. Let’s see which corporate companies are setting commendable aviation-related commitments.
Microsoft partnered with Alaska Airlines. Together, they are working to cover CO2 emissions to make their employees’ travel safe by introducing SAF credits.
FedEx has committed to purchase 13 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel from Red Rock Biofuel. It is a part of their long-term net-zero emission strategy.
Express GBT created an alliance to help in increasing supply SAF to under carbon reduction initiative and become zero carbon-emitting by 2050.
Industry-Wide Efforts
The path to climate recovery with zero airline emissions will require a collective effort from all industries. This also includes governments. They must take responsibility for the impact of certain activities, products, and policies have on the environment. The production of fossil fuels is one of them. So, the aviation industry must reduce its dependency on fossil fuels for air travel.
Industries such as energy, road transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, and finance are being collectively responsible for creating a risk-free airline emission. For example, policies of energy transition must include a change in the production plan. Road transport efforts should be advanced by designing electric vehicles. Manufacturers should bring in new technology to support the creation of lightweight engines and aircraft parts. All of them should join hands for a sustainable future for aviation.
The Role of Government Investments
Government bodies play a crucial role in heading up carbon reduction initiatives. The initiative will have solutions such as new aircraft technology and more efficient infrastructure and operations. It also includes the development of zero-carbon energy sources like hydrogen and electric power generation.
According to IATA, 1.8 gigatons of carbon will be required to sustain the aviation industry in 2050. The prediction can achieve 65% of carbon for sustainable aviation fuels.
What are other solutions in demand to commit to addressing a zero-emission environment? It includes:
Fuel-producing companies are to bring large-scale, cost-competitive sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to the market.
Governments and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) eliminate inadequacies in air traffic management and airspace infrastructure.
Aircraft and engine manufacturers produce more efficient aircraft engines and propulsion technologies.
Airport operators provide the required infrastructure to supply cost-effective SAF.
Airline Firms Decarbonizing Aviation
Presently, aviation is driving towards a new chapter of growth. And the pillars of growth are the firms that are continuously making efforts to make aviation a risk-free industry.
Let’s see how aviation firms are contributing to making a zero-carbon emission sky for safe air travel for the future.
Delta Airlines
Delta and Aviation Climate Taskforce are initiating technological innovation and accelerating the research and development of emerging technologies. Emerging technologies refer to reducing CO2 footprint production. They are focusing on their approach towards medium-term solutions, near-term solutions and long terms solutions.
The mid-term solutions include synthetic fuel. The near-term solutions focus on emerging bio-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) pathways. And long-term solutions include hydrogen technologies. ACT will aim to support the advancement of these technologies through two crucial pillars:
An Innovation Network
A Collaboration Forum
JetBlue
JetBlue went carbon neutral for all its flights. It went through carbon offset programs in partnership with the CarbonFund.org Foundation. The investment included solar, wind, and hydrogen-energy project initiatives.
Apart from this, JetBlue also invested in hundreds of global carbon offset programs to support renewable energy efforts.
“views carbon initiative as a platform for other industry-wide environmental improvements that support lower emissions.”
-JetBlue
The best part is that JetBlue also invested in sustainable aviation fuel on flights. They are currently operating from San Francisco International Airport.
American Airlines
American Airlines changed its strategy of using traditional jet fuel. The airline has committed to purchase 9 million gallons of SAF to lower CO2 emissions in the next three years.
Southwest Airlines
On Earth Day 2021, Southwest Airlines announced it would continue to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL works to develop cost-effective low-carbon aviation fuels that are generated from waste.
The airline SAF will play a vital role in getting the atmosphere carbon neutral and will be able to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. On this, NREL estimates that wet waste typically produces enough energy to provide about 20% of jet fuel consumption.
How Will the Industry Embrace Greener Air Travel Once It Returns to the Sky?
There is a buzz that travelers are now becoming more conscious of the environment. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate change activist after the pandemic, a growing wave of eco-conscious travelers are choosing to fly with more environmentally friendly airlines. They are also opting for other means of transportation.
As the aviation industry accounts for 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions, travelers now want to be associated with greater environmental awareness. They are taking some essential steps such as:
Asking whether a flight is necessary for travel
Booking a flight that travels nonstop
Keeping a check on airlines that promote carbon reduction goals
On the other hand, airline companies today are opting to monitor themselves. They are doing it within the parameters of emissions, manufacturing, and embracing technological aspects.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can air travel become more environmentally friendly?
You can follow some travel tips such as:
Opt for a direct destination flight
Find alternatives to travel other than flight (if not necessary)
Carry lesser or lighter luggage
Try to produce lesser waste
Choose a sustainable flight
How are airline firms reducing emissions from their flights?
Airline firms are continuously working towards reducing emissions in several ways. They are:
By retiring old aircraft
By updating air traffic routes to reduce fuel consumption
By investing in newer technologies in the manufacturing process and other fields
By participating in electricity generation and other sources of fuel generation
Which are the most eco-friendly airlines?
The most eco-friendly airlines are:
Air France
United Airlines
JetBlue
Delta Airlines
Virgin Airlines
Alaska Airlines
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