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Reducing the Environmental Impact of Aviation
2% of the world's CO2 emissions: this is aviation’s estimated impact on the environment according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Aviation is faced with conflicting and growing demands: for more mobility on one side, and not just at the European level; and for less environmental impact on the other side.

Besides, aviation is a consumer of non-renewable resources. While we wait for the next revolution in engine technology, we have to act.

What is air traffic management doing to help air transport achieve sustainability?

At EUROCONTROL we have been aware of the importance of mitigating the environmental impact of air traffic for many years. The revised EUROCONTROL Convention signed by our Member States in 1997 mentions in its first article that we should “take into account the need to minimise […] any adverse environmental impact”.
  EUROCONTROL environmental activities
  Watch our third 'Fly' programme on aviation and its environmental impact
EUROCONTROL adopted its Environmental Policy and Strategy in 2001. It guarantees that all our projects and programmes undertaken an environmental impact assessment in line with European and international best practices.
  Acrobat EUROCONTROL Environmental Policy and Strategy
Environmental measures in air traffic management have already reduced CO2 emissions by 2 million tons per year (equivalent to 1% of the total aviation’s emissions in Europe).

This is the result of the very first steps taken by EUROCONTROL:
  • More direct flights. Experts have estimated that as many as 4.7 million tons of CO2 are released unnecessarily into the atmosphere each year because of extra mileage.
  • Making it possible for more airplanes to fly at an altitude where jet engine performance is optimal. This improved vertical distribution of air traffic reduces CO2 emissions by almost 1 million tons a year.
  • Trials have proven that adopting a steady trajectory during descent before landing greatly reduces aircraft emissions, fuel consumption, and noise impact. This has proven more efficient than a level-by-level descent.
  • Keeping airplanes on the ground with their engines switched off until a departure slot becomes available. This initiative has helped reduce CO2 emissions by 1 million tons in 2006.
  • More flexibility of civil and military users in their use of airspace through strengthened coordination.

Our contribution to a cleaner European sky

For long EUROCONTROL has been conscious of the need for setting precise objectives also in environment protection. We have therefore endorsed the target of a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2013 proposed by the Single European Sky ATM Research programme.

But EUROCONTROL’s contribution is not only limited to finding innovative solutions to achieve this reduction target. We also stimulate environmental progress in air traffic management by spreading best practices among stakeholders and making sure they take their own part in this vital objective.

Related links

  HTML All about aviation's impact on the environment
  HTML Aviation Environment Federation
 
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Last validation: 29/11/2007