Plants Flying Aeroplanes!

In November 2009 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport with one of its Boeing 747 engines 50% powered by fuel made from the camelina plant. Originally the plant is cultivated as an oilseed crop, to produce vegetable oil and animal feed. The aviation industry took a giant step towards sustainable air transport following a life cycle analysis study that showed that greenhouse gas emissions from camelina derived renewable jet fuel showed an 84% saving compared to the normal petroleum jet fuel.



Air France-KLM Group is considered "best in class" in terms of CO2" reduction, compared to other airlines and the KLM environmental management system is fully ISO 14001 certified, which means they have a quality stamp on their environmental management skills and practices. The company is said to be leading the industry with eco-friendly innovations. They team up with manufacturers to design cleaner aircraft and are imposi ng higher demands on airports and suppliers concerning sustainability.



It is a given that the airline industry is responsible for approximately 3% of all the worlds CO2 emissions. So what else is being done? Whilst a trial for Camelian plant aviation fuel is a move in the right direction, what else are the multi-billion dollar/pounds industry leaders doing to clean up our air and reduce carbon emissions?



The Sector is under pressure from Green groups, The EU and others to clean up its act. The proposals on the table from carbon-neutral growth are a 5% reduction and a 20% reduction in emission through to 2020, with 2005 being considered the base year. This will be presented to negotiators at the latest round of climate talks being held in Bonn, Germany.



The proposals, from carbon-neutral growth, a 5% reduction and a 20% reduction in emissions through to 2020, using a 2005 base-year, were presented to negotiators a t the round of climate talks held in Bonn, Germany.



Come on aviation. Set the stage for sustainable air travel and get some more trials on the go. One camelina fuel driven test is just not enough.