January 28, 2022
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Lufthansa and MSC want to buy ITA Airways
Luc Joris Posted On January 25, 2022


Lufthansa and Swiss-Italian shipping group MSC have offered to buy a majority stake in ITA Airways, the slimmed-down successor to Alitalia controlled by the Italian state. This was reported by various Italian media on Monday. The two groups have asked for an exclusivity period of 90 days to study the deal.

The proposal of the German airline giant comes two years after a failed attempt to take a stake in Alitalia, which was placed under public administration in 2017 and has struggled to find a buyer. According to ITA Airways, the two groups have requested that the Italian government retains a minority stake in the company.

Active since October

Following the closure of Alitalia after 74 turbulent years in the air, Italia Trasporto Aereo or ITA Airways took off on 15 October last year in an airline market struggling to recover from the turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the years, the Italian state had disbursed more than 13 billion euros to get the national airline back on its feet. Alliances with Air France and Arab Emirates’ Ethiad failed, and Alitalia accumulated losses of 11,4 billion euros between 2000 and 2020 before closing.

Operating loss of 160 million euros

ITA Airways, which took less time to find potential buyers than its predecessor, said it was “satisfied that the work done in recent months to give the company a better outlook is beginning to have the expected results.”

The company recorded a turnover of 86 million euros between mid-October and the end of 2021, 60% less than expected, due to the Omicron variant. However, the carrier could count on more than 400 million euros in cash from Italian taxpayers. A total of 1,26 million passengers were carried during this period.

While ITA Airways aims to break even in the second quarter of 2023, it made an operating loss of 170 million euros in 2021, in line with its strategic plan.

New aircraft order

In December, the young company had 2 141 employees, less than the 2 800 hires initially announced for 2021. For this year, it will employ at least 1 000 more people. By comparison, Alitalia had 10 500 employees, including those in-ground services and maintenance, branches sold separately.

In December, ITA Airways also announced that it had placed a firm order for 28 aircraft with Airbus, including 7 A220 single-aisle aircraft, 11 A320neo aircraft, and 10 A330neo long-haul aircraft. If you don’t take the discounts into account, that comes down to a catalog price of nearly 4,7 billion euros.

ITA Airways operated a fleet of 52 aircraft at the beginning of the operation, including seven wide-bodies and 45 narrow-bodies aircraft. At the end of 2025, the fleet would generally rise to 105 aircraft, with 70% of new-generation aircraft.

ITA Airways focuses its business on the Rome Fiumicino hub and Milan Linate airport. The airline flies to 44 destinations with 59 routes, growing to 74 destinations and 89 routes by 2025 with more flights toward the long-haul sector.

Positive synergies

The Swiss-Italian Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC), one of the world’s leading container shipping lines, confirmed the ITA Airways announcement by assuring that it had expressed its interest to the Italian government in acquiring a majority stake in the Italian company, jointly with Lufthansa.

The Italian group said that such a transaction could generate positive synergies for both companies in the cargo and passenger transport sectors in a statement quoted by AFP. MSC organizes container transport and is also active in port terminals, cruises, ferries, and rail transport.

Difficult market

In the first reaction from workers, flight attendants, and pilots’ union FNTA said the interest of MSC and Lufthansa was positive news for the future of the small carrier.

According to some analysts, Italy is perhaps the most challenging market in Europe for air companies. There are many fast train connections on the mainland, and air traffic to the islands, like short-haul flights in Europe, is dominated by low-cost airlines, notably Ryanair and Wizz.

An ITA spokesperson has said that a new strategic plan would be presented at a board meeting scheduled for 31 January.


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Engie and Safran invest in decarbonized synthetic fuels
Félix Bouland Posted On January 21, 2022


Energy provider Engie and French aeronautics group Safran have both invested in Ineratec, a German start-up specialized in decarbonized synthetic fuels. The young company just closed a financing round of over $20 million, which will develop a sustainable synthetic fuel production plant near Frankfurt Airport that could yield up to 4,6 million littles from CO2 and renewable electricity.

“Safran is laser-focused on this vital area to make aviation carbon-neutral by 2050. Ineratec’s leading-edge technologies will bolster the technical expertise needed to develop a certified process for aviation,” said Eric Dalbiès, Safran Senior Executive Vice President, in a recent press release.

Sustainable option

On Thursday, Ineratec closed a series of financing rounds to scale up its sustainable e-fuel production. In addition to investments from existing investors, such as High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Extantia Capital, FO Holding, and Planet A, the German start-up managed to get Engie and Safran on board. The two French companies are leaders in their fields, energy distribution for one, and aviation, defense, and space markets for the other.

Last year, Ineratec opened the world’s largest pilot plant to produce e-fuels. Located in Lower-Saxony, the Power-to-Liquid plant should have a yearly production of 350 tons of e-kerosene. In 2022, the company plans on building a new pioneer plant close to Frankfurt Airport, which could yield up to 4,6 million liters of e-fuel.

Power-to-Gas, Gas-to-Liquid & Power-to-Liquid

Despite its young age, the German company has mastered the technique of sustainable fuel and gas production. It produces its synthetic fuels using three methods, nicknamed Power-to-Gas, Gas-to-Liquid, and Power-to-Liquid.

Therefore, they can produce e-fuels from either renewable or natural gas, renewable electricity, and waste CO2. Furthermore, Ineratec has innovated in the integration of their plant. The chemical reactors are small modular container-sized plants that can be applied to various energy-related sectors.

While e-fuels might face some backlash from climate associations, many believe they will play a vital role in the path toward total decarbonization. Moreover, their application, particularly in heavy mobility such as maritime, rail, or air transport, is interesting as it doesn’t require changing the internal combustion technology.


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Airbus to hire 6 000 workers worldwide
Félix Bouland Posted On January 20, 2022


With hopes of the pandemic coming to an end, a mastodon of the world aeronautics industry, Airbus, is preparing for the post-Covid-19 boom in air transport and new greener airplane requirements with a new recruitment plan. In 2022, the company will hire 6 000 people, one-quarter of them for decarbonization, digital transformation, and cybertechnology.

“Airbus has demonstrated resilience throughout the Covid-19 crisis and has laid the foundations for a bold future for sustainable aviation,” says Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources and Workplace Officer at Airbus, in a recent press release.

“This can only be achieved by acquiring the right talents in the various domains of expertise that will help us grow our activities as we come out of the crisis while preparing the long-term transformation of the company,”

6 000 jobs or more

Airbus managed to keep its head above the water in an industry struck by the pandemic. At the start of the crisis, the aeronautic specialist reduced production rates and announced 15 000 job cuts. However, thanks to the aids put in place by the States, the number was revised downward. The number of employees fell from 135 000 to 126 000 between 2019 and 2021.

For 2022, Airbus is looking on the bright side of life. The pandemic is getting thinner, air transport is growing, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so the European company plans on hiring 6 000 new people worldwide. “By the summer, we’ll see if the plan is sufficient for 2022 or if we need to go further and hire more. So we’re going step by step,” adds Mr. Baril.

Production growth and greener airplanes

While it will still take many months before the global air traffic returns to its pre-Covid-19 levels, Airbus notes that companies require new planes. Not only to deal with the increase in passenger transport but also due to the lower pollution requirements. Furthermore, the European aeronautics industry also has to meet the needs for military aircraft, helicopters, and satellites.

One-quarter of the newly employed will get to work on what Airbus refers to as ‘new skills’, having to do with decarbonization, digital transformation, and cybertechnology. The company is currently studying the development of a hydrogen-powered aircraft for 2035. But before that, the bread and butter of Airbus, the narrow-body A320 and A321 airliners, will get a boost in production rates. By 2023, 65 of them should get out of the hangar doors every month.


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Air France-KLM raise ticket prices to pay for sustainable fuel
Joris Van Roy Posted On January 11, 2022


The Air France-KLM Group is raising airplane ticket prices in 2022 by one to twelve euros depending on the cabin class and distance traveled to pay for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), added to regular kerosine. In France, adding 1% of SAF has been mandatory since last year.

KLM will start adding 0,5% on all flights leaving from Amsterdam, including low-cost daughter Transavia. The prices will apply from January 10, adding 1 to 4 euros on an Economy ticket or 1,5 to 12 euros in Business Class, Air Frances confirms to its clients.

Invitation to buy extra SAF

Passengers will have the opportunity to ‘buy’ extra sustainable fuel for their flight. Air France promises that every extra euro will be used to actually purchase extra SAF to be used with the regular kerosine.

In May of last year, an Airbus A350 from Air France-KLM made its first long-distance flight from Paris to Montreal (Canada) on SAF biofuel, made from waste like cooking oil and residue.

SAF can give a reduction of up to 80% in carbon emissions over the lifecycle of the fuel compared to traditional jet fuel, depending on the sustainable feedstock used, production method, and the supply chain to the airport.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), in a 16% blend with conventional aviation kerosine, avoided 20 tons of CO2 or 15% less on this flight to Montreal in May.

E-kerosine

SAF or synthetic kerosine, also called ‘e-kerosine’ can also be made by combining captured carbon with green hydrogen produced from water and renewable energy. In this way, by capturing the same amount of CO2 from the air that will be emitted during the actual flight later, the balance is carbon-neutral. But this method today is even more expensive.

The SAF was produced by French energy giant Total in its biofuel refineries of La Mède in the south of France and the Oudalle factory near Le Havre. But Total boss Patrick Pouyanné warned at the event that “one should not dream that this ecological energy transition will come at the same price.” And now we know what that extra price will be to start with.

France forerunner in EU

France is one of the forerunners in the world, enforcing airlines to use at least 1% of SAF in all flights originating in France, ahead of the European ambition scheduled to gradually ramp up to 2% by 2025, and 5% by 2030, as part of the European Green Deal. Norway was the first to start enforcing 0,5% of biofuels for flights originating from the country in 2020.

And this will come at a cost for the airlines. One percent of SAF accounts for an extra cost of 100 million euros, Pouyanné said at the time of the first long-haul flight using the sustainable mix.

“This will be taken into account for the average ticket price. The Total CEO stated that the energy transition shouldn’t be paid for only by the airlines or the energy suppliers, but the whole chain should contribute, including the clients.

50% SAF by 2050

France wants even to go to 50% SAF by 2050. In January 2020, the French government launched a ‘call of interest’ to the industry to set up a national bio-kerosine production of 500 000 tons, five times the size of Total’s current bio-refinery La Mède.


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Brussels Airlines wants extra planes during summer
Luc Joris Posted On January 11, 2022


Airline company Brussels Airlines will not be able to cope with the current fleet during the coming summer season. According to CEO Peter Gerber, more than the current 39 airplanes will be needed. He said this in an interview with the German trade magazine Aerotelegraph reports news agency Belga.

In 2020, Brussels Airlines reduced its activities because of the worldwide corona pandemic. As a result, the workforce was reduced by a quarter, and the fleet was cut by 30%. Currently, the Airline has 30 medium-haul and eight long-haul aircraft. “But we have seen that 38 planes are a bit low,” says Gerber. Hence the decision earlier to add an additional long-haul airplane to the fleet for summer 2022.

New aircraft already planned for 2023

“We are also looking at whether we can fly more continental routes, and the signs are actually pointing toward more rather than fewer flights,” the CEO said in the interview. “I can already say that in the summer, there will be more than 39 aircraft.”

In what concrete way that will happen is not yet clear. “We are looking at all the options,” says the airline spokesperson Maaike Andries. In 2023, Brussels Airlines is expecting new aircraft in any case. Then three brand new Airbus A320neos would enter the fleet to replace older A319 aircraft. It will be the first time that the Airline receives brand new airplanes directly from the manufacturer.

Break even

In the interview, CEO Peter Gerber also said that the aim is to break even this year. This objective from the Reboot+ restructuring plan will not be changed. In the longer term, Brussels Airlines aims for an 8% profit margin (EBIT margin), according to that plan.

Mid-2021 Brussels Airline had an EBIT loss of 143 million euros. Revenues had dropped by 45% compared to the same period in 2020, while the number of passengers transported between January and June fell by 57%.

New logo

However, in the third quarter, an operating profit was recorded for the first time since the crisis. Last month there was also a strike by Brussels Airlines staff. Pilots and cabin crew were protesting the excessive workload and previously criticized the timing of the launch of a new logo.

 

 

 


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ACI: ‘No reason to fly planes empty to keep airport slots’
Luc Joris Posted On January 7, 2022


Airlines have no reason to fly planes empty in Europe to keep their airport slots. That is what ACI Europe, the association representing Europe’s airports, says, expressing dismay at the controversy that arose after Lufthansa said carrying out some 18 000 unnecessary flights just to keep its time slots. About 3 000 of these are carried out by subsidiary Brussels Airlines.

According to ACI Europe, airlines can benefit from exemptions and are very well protected against the current uncertainties, notably the wave of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which has put a damper on bookings.

Excessive

Under normal circumstances, European rules state that airlines must use at least 80% of the take-off and landing slots at airports or lose their rights the following season. These rules have been rendered unenforceable by the health crisis that has caused air traffic to collapse since March 2020, leading Brussels to suspend them.

Since 28 March 2021, airlines have been required to use 50% of their take-off and landing slots to retain them, but this level is considered excessive by the still-recovering airline industry.

“Despite our urgent requests for more flexibility, the EU has approved 50% usage rule (…) that is unrealistic”, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents most airlines, told AFP.

Causing harm to the sector

The airport organizations have already had acrimonious and public exchanges with Iata in recent months, notably about the fees received by airports from airlines for each take-off and landing, in a context of dried-up finances for the entire sector.

ACI Europe supports the European Commission’s position and recalled that, if for any reason, 50% is not feasible, an exception is still possible. Airlines could keep their slots by having their national regulator invoke the “no justified use of slots” cause.

This covers outright travel bans and movement restrictions, mandatory quarantine or isolation measures that affect the viability or possibility of travel, or demand on specific routes, the organization said.

ACI Europe director Olivier Jankovic believes that the reports of the so-called ghost flights are harming the aviation sector. Environmental movement Greenpeace, for example, calls the empty flights “absurd” and speaks of “a new low for the sector that is kept afloat with government support.”

 

 


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Lufthansa: 18 000 empty flights only to keep precious slots
Félix Bouland Posted On January 5, 2022


German air transport group Lufthansa is set to cancel 33 000 flights by late March due to the effect of the resurging pandemic. However, to keep its allocated take-off and landing slots at European airports, the airline will have to ensure 18 000 flights, full or empty. Belgian Federal Mobility Minister, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), asks the European Commission to revise its slots policy.

“Maintaining the current rules creates unsatisfactory situations where airlines have to fly empty planes and incur large and unnecessary costs. The large-scale pollution created by these empty flights is the opposite of the EU’s climate objectives,” writes Minister Gilkinet in a letter to the Commission.

In the air, full or not

In late December, Lufthansa CEO, Carsten Spohr, announced that 10% of its company’s flights would be canceled. This represents around 33 000 flights. The reason is to be found in the resurgence of the pandemic with the Omicron variant, which created a drop in demand for passenger transport. The number of flights canceled could’ve been much higher if it wasn’t for the European take-off and landing slot policy.

EU regulations stipulate that for an airline to keep its take-off and landing slots, it has to use at least 80% of them per year. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has put a fork in air passenger transport. Back in 2020, the Commission suspended its slot policy. However, it was reintroduced in 2021 with the increasing demand for air transport, although at 50%.

Drop the slots

Belgian Federal Mobility Minister, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), asks the European Commission to revise its slots policy. In a letter sent to the EU, the Belgian Minister points out the fact that many airlines are flying empty only to keep their slots. For Lufthansa, this is the case on 18 000 flights, 3 000 for Brussels Airlines. The heresy of flying empty goes completely against the European Union’s climate policy.

Furthermore, the Mobility Minister points out that these slots only apply for airlines using coordinated airports. Those using smaller, cheaper airports don’t have to comply. Time will tell if Minister Gilkinet is being heard, but the Commission already plans to increase the slots’ threshold to 64% by summer 2022.


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Sick pilots force Lufthansa to cancel 33.000 flights
Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On December 24, 2021


The German airline company Lufthansa has canceled several long-distance flights due to a shortage of pilots. Many pilots are ill and the company is forced to reschedule and even reduce the flights planned for January and February. Subsidiary company Brussels Airlines has had similar problems and also had to cancel one flight so far.

“The absence rate is higher than usual,” Maaike Andries, spokesperson for Brussels Airlines told press agency Belga. “The reason for it is a combination of illnesses, vaccinations, and quarantine.” The company still tried to find reserve pilots but unfortunately couldn’t find any.

10% canceled flights

Brussels Airlines had similar problems during the fall break and canceled some five flights at that time. Lufthansa in its turn canceled its transatlantic flights to Boston, Houston, and Washington in the period between 23 and 26 December.

The number of flights will probably be cut back further in the coming months because the bookings have decreased as well. According to CEO Carsten Spohr, the domestic markets in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria are hit hard by the corona crisis. The company already had to cancel 33 000 flights of the winter program or about 10% of the total offer.

Decline in demand

And the number of canceled flights would probably even be higher, taking into account the expected decline in demand, but Lufthansa prefers to execute the “18 000 unnecessary” flights to safeguard the company’s landing and departure rights.

The omikron virus is spreading rapidly and hits the airline companies hard again just when they were slightly recovering. Lufthansa recently managed to execute about 60% of the flights compared with the situation before the outbreak of the pandemic. Seat occupancy recently was at about half of the normal level again.

Ryanair

However, Lufthansa is not the only airline in trouble. Other airlines had to cut back flights too. Earlier this week, the Irish low-cost Ryanair announced it will reduce its flights in January by one-third.

 

 


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Airbus rakes in major orders from Qantas and Air France-KLM
Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On December 17, 2021


The Australian airline company Qantas is planning to replace its actual fleet of Boeings for inland flights with Airbus planes. The European aircraft builder Airbus has signed a contract with Qantas. The prices of the deal were not mentioned.

Meanwhile, also Air France-KLM has placed an order for 100 machines at Airbus; some 60 more will follow. They have to replace the Boeing 737 fleet of KLM and Transavia in the Netherlands and France. The first planes should be delivered in the second half of 202; the last ones by 2030.

Qantas has ordered 134 airplanes. The first part of the order consists of 40 machines – 20 A321XLR and 20 A220; later, some additional 94 planes might follow. Delivery is expected during the ten years to come, starting in 2024, as Qantas gradually rejuvenates its fleet.

The decision also means that Boeing has lost the tender. Boeing received more orders since the Boeing 737 MAX returned. The airplane had been grounded for almost two years after two crashes, in which 346 people died. The first plane crashed in front of the Indonesian coastline; the second in Ethiopia, both minutes after taking off. The decision was a heavy blow to the American aircraft constructor.

More passengers, larger range

The new airplanes for Air France-KLM  – A320neo and A321neo – are 15% more energy efficient than the older machines and contribute to Air France-KLM’s intention to green its fleet. They will not be used for Trans-Atlantic flights but for journeys within Europe. Another advantage of the A320neo is that it can seat more than 230 passengers, more than a Boeing 737 MAX. The plane also has a larger range than a comparable Boeing.

The deals show that Airbus’s A220 and A320 are the company’s bestsellers facing Boeing’s 737 Max. After two disastrous years due to the corona pandemic, Airbus is faring well, with 408 orders last month on the Dubai Airshow, against 78 for Boeing. In the last ten months of the year, Airbus delivered 460 planes; Boeing 268.

Emirates

In the meantime, airline company Emirates has welcomed its last – the 123rd – Airbus A380 on Thursday, 16 December. It is the last plane of this type Airbus will deliver. The A380 has been built since 2007, and during the fourteen years of production, 272 of them were built. Far less than the European manufacturer had hoped to sell. The A380 could transport 500 passengers but it was less successful than expected.

Airbus started to build the A380 in the nineties but when it finally hit the market, it was actually outmoded. At that time, the aviation sector was no longer interested in superjumbos with four gluttonous engines but rather preferred smaller and more frugal double-engined airplanes, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

 


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Troubled Brussels Airlines crew to go on strike
Luc Joris Posted On December 16, 2021


Pilots and cabin crew of airline company Brussels Airlines will knock off work on Monday for a 24-hour strike. This was learned from the trade unions on Wednesday. They are protesting the excessive workload. The management of Brussels Airlines says being “very surprised” by the call for a strike that may also involve the ground staff.

In the past few months, Brussels Airlines has already seen staff take action on several occasions to find structural solutions to the problem of high work pressure. These were smaller, mainly symbolic actions, intending to spare passengers. But next Monday, the pilots and cabin crew will go on strike for 24 hours.

Dissatisfaction for some time

The unions point out that talks with the management have been going on for more than six months, but no solution has been found. According to several media, the higher workload is mainly the result of new flight schedules and timetables on medium-haul flights (mainly within Europe).

Of the 4 200 employees in 2019, some 3 000 now remain at Brussels Airlines. The result: great pressure on flying personnel to sacrifice their free days to come and help flights with staff shortages. Or flights have already been canceled because not enough staff could be found.

‘Wir schaffen das nicht mehr’

In a press release, the joint trade unions front states that the cabin crew accepted substantial pay cuts and increased production to save the company, hit hard by the corona crisis, from collapse. “After one year, we find that these signed agreements (CBA’s) are not respected and are interpreted differently by the management,” they say.

According to BBTK union secretary Olivier Van Camp, “the management’s attitude has reaped what it sowed”. Van Camp added to the Belga news agency that the launch of a new logo a few weeks ago was “a bit inappropriate” in the current circumstances. “We have our backs against the wall and see only one remedy left: a clear signal to our CEO and the entire Lufthansa management: Wir schaffen das nicht mehr.”

Just before the holiday peak

The management of Brussels Airlines reacts that it is “very surprised” by the call to strike. “We have to wait for the participation of the staff, but we strongly condemn the call,” says Kim Daenen, spokesperson for Brussels Airlines. “The action will mainly affect passengers, just when there is the holiday peak. Our priority now is to inform the passengers and cushion the impact.”

The spokesperson also said the latest reconciliation attempt would have been “successful”. “The intention was to discuss a few more open points at the next meetings. If we are in talks, then we expect the lines to remain open. We don’t understand.”

Brussels Airlines has had an excellent third quarter, thanks to the strong demand for vacation flights. As a result, the adjusted operating profit (EBIT) from July to September was 1 million euros, compared to a loss of 51 million euros in the same period last year.

By announcing Monday’s strike already, the unions hope to limit the impact on travelers. If all 116 scheduled flights of Brussels Airlines are canceled on Monday, it will cost the airline 2,5 million euros, according to De Tijd.

 

 

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Flying version of Renault 4 for its 60th birthday
Tony Verhelle Posted On November 29, 2021


To conclude the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Renault 4, the carmaker has decided to team up with motion design hub TheArsenale to create a futuristic show car, AIR4, a reinterpretation of this iconic model.

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the Renault 4L, a car that has sold more than 8 million units in over 100 countries for more than 30 years. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Renault has been holding a year of celebrations consisting of several initiatives.

To wrap it up, the brand decided to join forces with the ground-defying design hub TheArsenale to create a show car that gives a futuristic and offbeat reinterpretation of 4L.

The air is the new road

Renault has partnered with TheArsenale on this truly unique project. The result is AIR4, “a symbol of independence and freedom, born out of the realization that traffic is compounding, lives are grinding to a halt, and the world above us is unhampered.” Thus, AIR4 claims the air as the new road of the future.

TheArsenale stands by the assumption that the icons of car culture are eternal. This vehicle is the first product from TheArsenale’s ‘road to air’ division, which envisions the future transport network to be in the sky.

AIR4 is the brainchild of Patrice Meignan, CEO and Founder of TheArsenale, who sought to create a new kind of vehicle that provokes emotion, establishes brand identity, and offers pleasure.

Reinterpretation

Design-wise, AIR4  has resulted in a reinterpretation of the retro icon by TheArsenale, far from the modern car design language. The vehicle, entirely made of carbon fiber, maintains the same lines and contained mass of the original 4L, yet presenting new dynamic capabilities.

The rigidity has been completely revised to include new concepts such as thrust or lift, which required hours of calculations and tests. Drawing on generative design techniques using artificial intelligence, TheArsenale’s engineers were able to test terabytes of data to improve and fine-tune the designers’ ideas, even before starting the first real-world trials.

No wheels

To drive around, AIR4 has no wheels. Instead, it features four two-blade propellers, one at each corner of the vehicle. The chassis sits in the middle of the rota frame, and the ‘driver’ can access and take a seat in the utilitarian cabin of the vehicle by lifting the reimagined Renault 4 shell, which is hinged at the front.

From a technical standpoint, AIR4 is powered by lithium polymère batteries with a total capacity of 90 000 mAh. The vehicle counts on a horizontal top speed of 26 m/s, with a 45° inclination during flights, and up to a maximum inclination of 70°.

It can fly as high as 700m with a take-off speed of 14 m/s, restrained at 4 m/s for safety reasons, and landing velocity of 3 m/s. Last but not least, AIR4 offers a maximum vectorial thrust of 380 kilograms.

After its digital presentation last Friday, AIR4 will go on public display from Monday 29 November until the end of the year in the center of Paris at the Atelier Renault on the Champs Elysées, alongside other historical versions of the Renault 4.

Beginning 2022, AIR4 will hit the American ground in Miami and then New York before making an even longer trip to Macau.


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Brussels Airport launches Stargate project to green aviation
Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On November 26, 2021


On Thursday, November 25th, Brussels Airport has officially launched Stargate. In the next five years, Stargate, a consortium of 22 partners, will work out several projects aiming at greener aviation and making European airports more sustainable.

The Stargate project will receive €24,8 million subsidies within the European Green Deal. The partners of the consortium will add another €10 million.

Exchange knowledge and expertise

Brussels Airport will have a leading role in the consortium. This means that pilot projects will first be tested in Zaventem. Then they can be rolled out in other European airports, like Toulouse Blagnac Airport (France), Athens International Airport (Greece), and Budapest Airport (Hungary).

These airports are already CO2-neutral for their own operations, as is Brussels Airport, and each has its own accents in the area of sustainability. The airports will be able to exchange their knowledge and expertise within Stargate, and what proves successful at Brussels Airport will also be rolled out and deployed at these fellow airports.

Biofuel blending installation

One of the first projects is the construction of a biofuel blending installation at the airport, where kerosene will be mixed with biofuel. Brussels Airport will be the first airport worldwide to have such facilities, and Brussels Airlines, TUI, and DHL will be the first airline companies to fly on biofuel.

In May of this year, an Airbus A350 from Air France-KLM made its first long-distance flight from Paris to Montreal (Canada) on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), made from waste like cooking oil and residue. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel in a 16% blend with conventional aviation kerosine avoided 20 tons of CO2 or 15% less on this flight.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Air France-KLM and Total were the first to test sustainable aviation fuels and proved that biofuel has no impact on the reliability of airline operations. KLM made its first SAF-powered flight in 2009. Since then, the Group has multiplied the number of innovative programs. Between 2014 and 2016, for example, it carried out 78 Air France flights powered by a 10% SAF blend in collaboration with a Total affiliate.

Stargate also includes the electrification of all transport on the tarmac. The buses to transport passengers to and from the airport already are electric. During the Stargate kickoff, parcel delivery company DHL presented two electric vehicles that will be tested now. One of them will be used to transport packages to and from airplanes.

Quieter test runs

All ground handling material should become electric too because the airport intends to make test runs much quieter in the future. Concerning energy, Brussels Airport will also consider the installation of additional solar panels, and analyze the feasibility of a fermenter installation to process organic waste.

Arnaud Feist, CEO van Brussels Airport: “Together with our partners, we will show that sustainable aviation is feasible. Through the Stargate project, we will develop biofuels for airplanes on the site of the airport, make ground handling operations more sustainable, and transform airports into intermodal hubs, making alternatives for the car easily accessible.”

Carbon footprint

Dr. Yiannis N. Paraschis, CEO, Athens International Airport: “The need to respond to the climate emergency has never been more evident […] Through Stargate we aim to accelerate the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel,  zero-emission vehicles, green hydrogen, and other solutions while contributing from our own expertise gained from over a decade of carbon reduction.”

Chris Dinsdale, CEO of Budapest Airport: “Budapest Airport has taken numerous real steps to continuously reduce the airport’s carbon footprint, and we plan to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2035, a goal to which the Stargate project and the involved sharing or experiences and knowledge will contribute greatly.”

Philippe Crébassa, CEO of Aèroport de  Toulouse-Blagnac: “With three major European airports, we will collaborate on very concrete initiatives to accelerate the energy transition and, more broadly, to ensure the sustainable development of our business. Stargate will also support our efforts to seamlessly integrate our airport into its territory and local environment.”


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Aviation  / Mobility  / Top Stories Today
Brussels Airlines’ new logo causes some ‘turbulence’
Luc Joris Posted On November 19, 2021


Brussels Airlines presented a new brand identity, including a new logo, on Thursday. The latter immediately caused some ‘turbulence’, as the new identity and logo were certainly not to the liking of several hundred employees that wanted the money spent elsewhere to reduce pressure on the staff. And Polish news medium, Gazeta.pl, saw a striking resemblance to its own logo.

“This is an important milestone for Brussels Airlines, we are starting a new chapter,” CEO Peter Gerber said at the unveiling of the first aircraft in the new colors. “We believe this is the perfect time to show the world that the worst is over,” Gerber added.

Several hundred employees symbolically turned their backs on their employer during the presentation. They particularly denounced the timing of the marketing operation. “There are other priorities at the moment,” they said.

Turbulent waters

According to Brussels Airlines management,  this is the right time to turn the page by proposing a new brand identity. The airline had to cope with a troubled atmosphere in recent years, with the integration in the Lufthansa group and different restructuring plans. The company also had to resort to government support to survive the health crisis.

But the airline is gradually getting back on its feet. In the third quarter, for example, an operating profit was recorded for the first time since the crisis. “The winter will still be cold on all fronts, but we expect things to start improving from the second quarter of 2022,” Peter Gerber says.

Relaunch with new logo

The moment has, therefore, come for a relaunch with a new logo among other things. The famous b-logo, formed by fourteen red dots, will disappear after fifteen years. These red dots remain, but there are nine more of different sizes that are set in the shape of a square.

In the name, the word ‘Brussels’ gets a more prominent place, the suffix ‘Airlines’ becomes smaller. The airline also stresses that the new brand identity will cost only “a few hundred thousand euros”. The planes also will gradually be repainted: the last plane with the old b-logo should disappear from the fleet in 2024.

Resistance from unions

The timing of the presentation of that new logo, however, the unions have trouble digesting. About a hundred employees symbolically turned their backs on their employer during the presentation before the hangar where the first plane with the new logo was presented.

As such, the unions are not against a new logo, because renewal is not a problem. But the timing is not right, and they feel the money could have been better spent. The unions refer to the staff, which has gone through several restructurings (Reboot, Reboot+-), the temporary unemployment during the corona crisis and the heavy workload that was there last summer – Brussels Airlines has 3 000 employees.

That workload was already protested during the summer with small actions, but a structural solution is still not in place. “The discontent is deep,” they say. In recent weeks, for example, several flights were canceled due to a shortage of cabin crew. The unions call on Brussels Airlines’ management to discuss structural solutions for the staff and they especially want a solution toward next summer.

Identical logos

Under #LogoTwins, the Polish newspaper Gazeta.pl, in turn, contacted Brussels Airlines about the “almost identical logo”. After all, their logo consists of… nine red dots of different sizes in the shape of a square.

“A comparison of the trademark of Gazeta.pl and the new trademark of Brussels Airlines leaves no doubt that the graphic elements are almost identical,” said a spokesperson for Agora, the media group to which Gazeta.pl belongs, to Belga news agency. The group says it is analyzing the situation and has already contacted Brussels Airlines. “We hope to be able to resolve this issue quickly and amicably.”

At Brussels Airlines, they know the logo of Gazeta.pl. “We saw that logo before we registered our logo as a trademark,” says spokesperson Kim Daenen. But the airline saw no reason to modify the planned logo yet. “The two logos are not completely identical, and besides, the two companies work in completely different sectors,” Daenen said. “So, there is no confusion possible.”

 

 

 

#LogoTwins


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Aviation  / Mobility  / Top Stories Today
Brussels Airlines flies again profitably in Q3
Luc Joris Posted On November 4, 2021


Brussels Airlines has had an excellent third quarter, thanks to the strong demand for vacation flights. As a result, the adjusted operating profit (EBIT) from July to September was 1 million euros, compared to a loss of 51 million euros in the same period last year.

For the first nine months of the year, the airline reported a 12% increase in revenues to 380 million euros, while operating expenses fell 10% to 544 million euros. However, the company still has an operating loss of 142 million euros for this year, down from -233 million euros last year (+39%), a result that continues to be heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Three new A320neo aircraft

“The high demand for vacation flights, together with an improved cost position as a result of our restructuring in the Reboot Plus program, led to a positive result in the third quarter,” says CFO Nina Öwerdieck, as quoted by Belga news agency.

Brussels Airlines has nearly completed the restructuring phase within that transformation program, reducing the fleet by 30% and the workforce by 25%. The second phase, the improvement phase, has also started in the meantime. One of the investments within that phase is the addition of three A320 neo aircraft to the fleet by 2023, with significantly lower CO2 and noise emissions. These will replace three older A319 aircraft.

Brussels Airlines currently has 38 aircraft and flies to 70 destinations, including15 in Africa. The company has 3 100 employees. In September, the unions held another action to denounce the workload among cabin crew. The unions want the collective employment agreements (CAO) in force since January to be renegotiated, but that is not an option for management.

Lufthansa is also doing better

The return of airline passengers who wanted to go on vacation again after all the corona troubles plus the transport of cargo also helped airline and parent company Lufthansa to an operating profit in the past quarter, a first since the start of the pandemic.

Sales in the third quarter came to 5,2 billion euros, almost as much as in the first two quarters combined. Operating profit was 17 million euros, compared with a loss of 1,3 billion euros in the same period of 2020. The number of passengers last quarter was 46% of the pre-crisis level.

Still red figures

Top executive Carsten Spohr wants to cut operating losses at least in half by 2021 compared with 2020, when Europe’s largest airline group lost 5,5 billion euros on normal operations. After three quarters, Lufthansa, which includes Austrian Airlines, Swiss Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, is well on its way with an operating loss of 2,1 billion euros.

If interest payments, taxes, and depreciation are included, Lufthansa still has red figures, namely a net loss of 72 million euros in the third quarter. A year ago, a loss of just under 2 billion euros was recorded in the same period.

On the social front, Lufthansa has cut more than 30 000 jobs worldwide, out of 140 000, as part of a vast restructuring aimed at saving 3,5 billion euros per year from 2024. 2,5 billion euros has already been achieved, and 3 000 jobs remain to be cut in Germany. The restructuring cost 520 million euros in the first nine months to the group, which recently reimbursed most of the public aid obtained last year to ensure its survival.

 

 


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Aviation  / Energy  / Environment  / Technology  / Top Stories Today
SAS, Shell, and Vattenfall join forces for fossil-free e-fuel
Joris Van Roy Posted On November 4, 2021


Dutch oil giant Shell, Swedish energy provider Vattenfall, and Scandinavia’s leading airline SAS announced to jointly study the possibilities to produce 50 000 tons of electrofuel for aviation, made from green hydrogen and CO2, captured from a district heating facility.

With full production up and running, SAS could provide up to 25 percent of its global demand for sustainable aviation fuel in the 2030s. E-fuel is one form of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) that uses no fossil feedstock at all. It’s an alternative to biofuel SAF made from waste like cooking oil and residue as used by TotalEnergies and Air France-KLM.

Certified for 50% SAF blend

Today’s aircraft are certified to fly with a maximum of 50% SAF depending on the production pathway of the latter and how much traditional aviation fuel (kerosene) is added. In May, an Airbus A350 from Air France-KLM made its first long-distance flight from Paris to Montreal (Canada) on SAF biofuel, a 16% blend added to the kerosine.

The technique Shell and its Swedish partners are exploring is promising as there is no CO2 emission when producing the fuel. On the contrary, CO2 from heating that would otherwise blow in the air is captured and ‘reused’. But it doesn’t come cheap.

Green electricity and CO2

The raw materials planned to be used are ‘green’ electricity from the Swedish electricity grid and carbon dioxide collected from Vattenfall’s combined heat and power plant in Uppsala, where approximately 200 000 tons of carbon dioxide can be recovered per year.

Green electricity is used first to make ‘green’ hydrogen by electrolysis from water. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen can be converted into ethanol in a process developed by LanzaTech.

Carbon capturing in Belgium

The latter was initially founded in New Zealand as a start-up that focuses on converting carbon emissions to valuable products, including fuels. It’s now based in the US near Chicago, with several projects set up worldwide, including Belgium. The company is working with ArcelorMittal in Ghent to capture carbon from its blast furnaces and convert it into bioethanol.

By taking industrial emissions and feeding them to bacteria, the company makes ethanol fuel, the fuel additive usually (and controversially) made from corn or sugarcane. Ethanol is simple alcohol with the chemical formula C2H6O. 

Added in regular car gasoline

It is already added to gasoline to create the E10 blend, a mixture of 10% anhydrous ethanol and 90% gasoline. This can be used in the internal combustion engines of most modern cars without the need for any modification on the engine or fuel system.

For the Swedish project, and to be used as fuel for aviation, the ethanol needs to be converted via the ‘LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet process’ into aviation electrofuel. When electrofuel is combusted by aircraft engines, the captured carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere after being utilized a second time. So the net result is a 50% CO2 reduction.

 


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ZeroAvia to fly London-Rotterdam on hydrogen by 2024
Joris Van Roy Posted On October 28, 2021


British-American start-up in hydrogen-powered aviation, ZeroAvia, has signed an agreement with Dutch aviation partners to realize a zero-emission one-hour flight route with a 19-seat airplane on hydrogen between London and The Hague Airport (RTHA) in Rotterdam.

ZeroAvia and Royal Schiphol Group say they’re in advanced talks with airlines to exploit the new route. Targeted for 2024, this would probably be one of the world’s first commercial international routes with hydrogen planes.

Partners Royal Schiphol Group, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport Foundation, and the RTHA airport have agreed on a timeline to work on legislation, integrating hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the airport processes and setting up the commercial infrastructure.

ZeroAvia recently established a legal entity in the Netherlands to avoid limitations due to Brexit and to have an EU foothold to enable commercialization and partnerships with airports, airlines, and aviation part manufacturers.

19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft

ZeroAvia is currently developing a 19-seater twin-engined airplane for short-haul flights, capable of covering a range of 500 nautical miles or 916 km. ZeroAvia was the first to feature a six-seater H2-powered electric airplane passenger flight in September 2020.

The British-American start-up acquired two twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft from Guernsey’s regional airline Aurigny and AMC Aviation, which used the planes on regional services. They will be converted with fuel cell-powered engines and will be used to certify them as the most extensive aviation hydrogen platform yet, to be commercially used from 2024.

UK Government fund

The Hyflyer II test and demonstration planes – one stationed in Kemble (UK) and one at the company’s site in Hollister (California) – are retrofitted with two 600-kW electric engines and fuel cell. They will get a tank capacity of 100 kg of compressed hydrogen, giving the planes a range of 500 nautical miles.

For the 19-seater Hyflyer II project, ZeroAvia secured a £12,3 million (€14,3 million) UK Government grant after showing a successful Hyflyer I program with a converted Piper M-class six-seater with a 250-kW powertrain. That became the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger plane in September 2020.

Damaged on a rough landing

That plane got damaged in April of this year during a routine pattern test flight, making an off-airport landing in a grass field outside Cranfield airport. According to ZeroAvia, “it caught the left main gear and wing in the uneven terrain at the end of the field at low speed. Everybody involved was safe and without injury.”

The plane ZeroAvia is taking in hand now, the Dornier 228, is a twin-turboprop STOL (short take-off and landing) utility aircraft, capable of operating from rough runways and in hot climates. In total, 245 of them were built between 1981 and 1998 by the German aircraft builder.

German hydrogen plane

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) was the first to announce in November 2020 to use a Dornier 228 to equip it with a fuel cell and 500 kW engines and turn it into a hydrogen-electric demonstrator planned for 2026.

Beginning this year, the German transport ministry provided a grant of 6 million euros for the BALIS project, which aims to develop a fuel-cell powertrain of some 1,5 megawatt, enough to power a 40-60 seat regional aircraft that can fly 1 000 km. That would then rather be a Dornier 328 turboprop, being a 30-44 seater regional aircraft.

Flying 9 000 km by 2040

ZeroAvia’s ambitions go further than the 19-seater for regional flights too. It raised another $13 million (€10,9 million) from a series of venture capitalists, among which AP Ventures, Shell Ventures, and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to start up a 50- to 80-seater project to be realized in 2026.

This week, ZeroAvia announced it develops a 76-seat airplane with hydrogen propulsion together with Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines. ZeroAvia will incorporate a 3MW+ hydrogen-electric powertrain system into a De Havilland DHC-8-400 (Q400) aircraft, which would enable a range of 500 nm (926 km).

That should pave the way for a +200 seater with a +3 700 km range by 2030, and ultimately one capable of flying more than 5 000 nm or 9 260 km by 2040.

Airbus aims at 2035

European aerospace company, Airbus, has presented last year three concepts of zero-emission airplanes using liquified ‘green’ hydrogen to be burned in a jet engine. It believes these planes will be ready to start test-flying by 2028 and to fly by 2035 commercially. That’s the date set by the French government to put €1,2 billion on the table by 2022 to support it as part of the rescue plan for the aviation industry.


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Last flight for Alitalia
Luc Joris Posted On October 15, 2021


Alitalia, the flagship of Italian air transport, will end its 74-year history. On Thursday, it made its last flight, crippled by long-standing financial problems.

Today, the new airline Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA) will take off with the help of the Italian government. But there is deliberately no talk of a relaunch. Instead, the new player will only take over part of the slots (landing rights, e.n.) and no staff from Alitalia.

The Alitalia brand is also being sold for the sum of 290 million euros, but a bidder has not yet emerged (ITA has declined to buy the logo, deeming the price too high). The company’s more than 10 000 employees face an uncertain future, having received no guarantee of priority in the hiring process.

52 aircraft

Alitalia has been in the red since 2002. Several attempts were made to make the company healthy again but without result. Finally, in 2017, Alitalia went bankrupt and was kept afloat by the Italian state, which granted a 900 million euros bridge loan – illegal according to Europe.

Even during the corona pandemic, Alitalia, with 11 billion euros in accumulated losses since the beginning of the century, had to rely on millions in aid not to collapse.

But now the curtain has finally fallen, and a new, slimmed-down airline will take its place: ITA. The airline, endowed with 1,35 billion euros by Mario Draghi’s government, will start with 52 aircraft and 2 800 employees, which could rise to 5 750 within a few years.

As of today, if flies to 44 destinations, by 2025, this could be 74. ITA is retaining 85% of its predecessor’s take-off and landing slots at Milan Linate airport and 43% at Rome Fiumicino.

The aircraft will be flying the national flag, but there will be no reference to the identity of the former airline. In the first images released by ITA, the planes will only bear the words “Born in 2021” in green, white, and red letters.

Low-cost airlines are the deathblow

Alitalia started on 5 May 1947 under the name Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali, its first flight on the Turin-Rome-Catania route. The first intercontinental flight came a year later, from Milan to Buenos Aires.

In 1975, the airline merged with Linee Aeree Italiane, and the name Alitalia was chosen, a combination of “wings” and “Italy”. By 1960, the airline carried 1 million passengers; by the 1990s, 25 million.

Partially privatized in 1996 by the Prodi government, the company never solved its competitiveness problem, which only became more acute in the early 2000s with the birth of low-cost airlines, which have been particularly aggressive in the Peninsula.

In 2005, its market share in Italian airspace was only 25%, whereas it had been 50% ten years earlier. In 2021, it is only 13%, far behind Ryanair.

Strategic mistakes

With hindsight, several major strategic mistakes were made when the Italian state tried to sell its 67% share to Air France-KLM between 2006-2008. Firstly, the company chose to concentrate on short and medium-haul flights – where low-cost airlines were making irresistible progress – to the detriment of the more profitable long-haul flights.

Secondly, it relied heavily on the Rome-Milan route, although it competed with high-speed trains that linked the center of the two metropolises in just over three hours.

Finally, it retained a two-headed organization with two hubs in Milan-Linate and Rome-Fiumicino for political rather than operational reasons. As a result, after the “best” year in its recent history in 2011 (only 69 million euros in losses), the company resumed its downward trajectory.

Dark omens

In any case, according to Le Monde, the public authorities fear that numerous protests will disrupt the first days of ITA’s existence. First, the unions have multiplied emergency appeals against the setting up of ITA, facilitated by the adoption of a “tailor-made” decree exempting it from the obligation to take over former Alitalia workers.

If they wanted to continue with ITA, employees would also have to accept pay cuts of more than 20% and up to 40% for the pilots. Therefore, the trade unions call the take-over of the equipment and the planes without the staff illegal and have announced demonstrations at Alitalia headquarters in Rome-Fiumicino airport.

Beyond that, it is the viability of the future company that looks pretty hypothetical. For the time being, ITA is expected to have seven long-haul aircraft, which is too few to be competitive. Therefore, it is conceivable that ITA could be bought out in the medium term, but the companies that might be candidates would have to reimburse the state aid received during the pandemic, which will not be easy.

 


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Aviation  / Legislation  / Top Stories Today  / Transport
Belgium’s short-haul flight tax bill causes confusion
Félix Bouland Posted On October 14, 2021


This Tuesday, the Belgian government suggested introducing a tax on short-haul flights less than 500 km from Brussels Airport. In its estimate, it should bring in 30 million euros by 2022, and 40 million in the next two years.

The opposition was quick to berate the suggested bill, pointing out obvious flaws. They include the non-existent fast train connections, injustice between Brussels and the other airport at Charleroi, and the ‘gulf’ between the tax and the estimated returns.

From 5 to 6 euros

“It’s a decision that this government has taken, the organization of the beginning of a shift. Where it’s possible to take the train instead of a plane, we will encourage people to take the train,” responded the Federal Mobility Minister, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), in the Chamber, while presenting the measure.

With a tax ranging from five to six euros per passenger flying on short-haul flights of less than 500 km, the Federal government hopes to raise 30 million euros by 2022 and 40 million euros in the next two years.

And this is precisely where the opposition began to find flaws. According to data, 900 000 passengers flew short-haul flights in 2019. Even by rounding up the passenger count to one million, the suggested tax won’t bring anything near the estimate.

If transit passengers would be exempted like in Amsterdam and Frankfurt in the neighboring countries, some 450 000 passengers would have to pay an extra tax of 66,67 euros per ticket to get to the target of €30 million, newspaper De Tijd writes.

Injustice?

As the tax currently fixates on ‘short haul’ flights, it only targets major airlines that are using the hub system. In other words, Ryanair and its point-to-point flight system won’t be affected as much. The Irish low-cost airline would come out as the big winner.

Furthermore, Brussels Airport is lacking many major international connections and relies on short-haul flights to Paris, Frankfurt, or London for international long-haul flights. The tax wouldn’t be a problem for transit passengers if the Belgian government had the decency to exempted them from it as other nations do.

Climate issue

What drives the Belgian government to push this tax? This is where it all goes blurry, Belgian media comment. Maybe its roots are to be found in an ecological mindset. Therefore, CO2 reduction is key.

But this bill only acts on passenger transport, and freight flights are being left alone. However, short-haul cargo flights are very common, and with older, heavier, and more polluting airplanes. Plus, freight rail lines are plenty.

A tax on short-haul flights isn’t, in essence, a bad idea. Other countries have them – France even pushed Air France to stop its flight where a train alternative existed. But such a tax should be backed by correct budgeting, and other options must already exist, opponents argue. “The government is putting the cart before the horse by hoping passengers will take the train while the rail connection sometimes doesn’t even exist.”


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France to produce 2 million EVs and hybrids by 2030
Félix Bouland Posted On October 13, 2021


French President Macron presented on Tuesday his ‘France 2030’ program, which plans to invest €30 billion in different industrial and energy sectors to put France back on the map. Automotive and aerospace will share a budget of four billion euros to reach specific objectives, including 2 million EVs and hybrids produced by 2030 and the development of the first low-carbon airplane.

In this, the president keeps on counting on the internal combustion engine (ICE), despite voices in Europe to sign its death sentence in 2035 or even 2030. Macron said the last 30 years have been cruel for the French auto industry due to political and industrial errors.

Today, the bestsellers in France aren’t even produced in the hexagon. Furthermore, while the production totaled 3,7 million cars in 1990, that number went down to 2 million before the pandemic and 1,4 million after the Covid-19 hit.

2 million electric and hybrid vehicles

To reach that ambitious goal, Macron has planned to invest two billion euros in the French automotive sector for R&D and adaptation. Firstly, to help bring production back to France, but secondly, and most importantly, to push for the transition toward electric cars and hybrids.

While production numbers have dropped drastically since 2000, the green transition seems to be going along, thanks to EU regulations. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, EVs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids represented 22,4% of new registrations in 2020, compared to 4,3% in 2017.

ElectriCity

Projects are already going along. Renault has put the first cogs in its ElectriCity, which should produce around 400 000 cars in its techno-center of Douai. Toyota also plans to build 300 000 vehicles by 2022 in France, 80% of which should be hybrids. Finally, Stellantis is targeting EV sales in Europe to be over 70% by 2030, but no words yet on where these will be assembled.

Meanwhile, the EU Commission and a number of EU countries are pushing to prepare a total ban on combustion engines by 2035, including even plug-in hybrids. The Netherlands, for instance, is in favor of an ultimate of 2030 even, an example the UK is said going to follow. And a number of carmakers already pledged to the electric car to be the only one sold in Europe by that time.

Green plane

In aviation, the sector has been talking of a ‘green plane’ for so long that no one seems sure if it’ll ever exist. However, the Council for civil aeronautical research (Corac) has already invested 1,5 billion euros for the R&D of such a machine, and France is now putting more public money into it. Two billion euros, to be precise. This amount will go to developing the first low-carbon airplane in 2030, to be produced in France.

With that new investment, forces will be joined on the different ways to make the aviation sector greener. The first, and the one with the best short-term outcome, is the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which should drop carbon emissions by 80%.

Running on 100% SAF by 2030

Airbus has already committed to launching a machine running on 100% SAF by 2030. However, other solutions are available and being studied, such as hybrid electric planes or those running on hydrogen.

France is also going one step further than aviation and putting 1,5 billion euros into aerospace. This amount will go to the development of reusable jet launchers, which should see the light of day by 2026. However, the focus is put on the ground and France at the moment, as the President has no ambition to “boldly go where no man has gone before”.


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Lufthansa repays in advance €1,5 billion of state aid
Luc Joris Posted On October 12, 2021


German airline Lufthansa has repaid part of the state aid it received during the corona crisis following a capital increase as planned. Lufthansa confirmed this on Monday. By issuing new shares, the airline could carry out a capital increase of 2,15 billion euros gross. This enables Lufthansa to repay 1,5 billion euros to the German WSF support fund.

By the end of the year, Lufthansa wants to cough up another billion. The airline already repaid a one billion euros loan from the state-owned KfW in February.

Nine billion euros aid

Lufthansa had obtained an envelope of 9 billion euros for its rescue plan to help it through the difficult period when the coronavirus epidemic almost stopped air traffic. Six billion euros of aid came from the German state, the other 3 billion euros of state aid from subsidiaries in Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium – for Brussels Airlines.

The German state, which has just sold part of its shares, remains a 14% shareholder in the company.

Confident about the future

“We are very grateful that Lufthansa could be saved with taxpayers’ money in these difficult times,” said CEO Carsten Spohr. “This has made it possible to preserve more than 100 000 jobs and secure them for the future. We are increasingly confident about the future as more and more countries open their borders,” he added.

With travel restrictions eased and passengers returning, Lufthansa posted a net loss of 756 million euros in the second quarter of 2021, half the 1,5 billion euros in the same period of 2020, when flights were halted worldwide due to Covid-19.

However, Lufthansa is carrying out a severe cost-cutting redundancy campaign, which plans to cut thousands of jobs, 30 000 of which have already been cut since the pandemic began.

 


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Aviation  / Climate  / Energy  / Environment  / Technology  / Top Stories Today
IATA agrees on gigantic task of CO2-free aviation by 2050
Joris Van Roy Posted On October 5, 2021


The International Air Transport Association (IATA), grouping 290 airlines worldwide, has agreed on its yearly congress in Boston (US) to make aviation CO2-free by 2050. Experts fear it will be a gigantic task, as IATA targeted the last twelve years only to halve its CO2 emissions by that date, compared to 2005.

The objectives are audacious, IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh told the representatives of the airlines, but it is a necessity to allow future generations to keep on flying. Moreover, the target was set by consensus, not by vote. None of the airlines objected. Only Chinese airlines formulated a snide comment, saying the Chinese government has set a date of 2060 for that.

On top of the 201-billion-dollar loss

The task to reach zero emissions of CO2 by 2050 – in line with the Paris Agreements for other sectors to limit climate warming to 1,5°C – will be Herculean, and many experts are looking at the IATA’s targets disbelievingly.

It will require huge investments and comes on top of the 11,6-billion-dollar loss the sector expects for 2022, which brings the total loss in the pandemic period of 2020-2022 to 201 billion.

Alternative fuels

With its 290 airlines, IATA represents 82% of international air traffic. Walsh proposes to cut emissions by 1,8 gigaton or 65% of current CO2 emissions in 2050 by using alternative fuels or ‘green kerosine’.

Electric and hydrogen airplanes have to contribute for 13% by then, 3% is to be found in efficiently improving the organization. For instance, the final 19% reduction IATA wants to compensate outside the aviation sector with carbon-capturing projects and reforestation.

SAF is still in its infancy

Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in aviation is scarcely out of the egg today. In April 2021, an Airbus A350 from Air France-KLM made its first long-distance flight from Paris to Montreal (Canada) on SAF biofuel, made from waste like cooking oil and residue.

The SAF in a 16% blend with conventional aviation kerosine avoided 20 tons of CO2 or 15% less on this flight. France is one of the forerunners in the world, enforcing airlines to use at least 1% of SAF in all flights originating in France.

50% by 2050

France wants that to become 50% by 2050. This can reduce the total CO2 emission balance by 60 to 80%. It is way ahead of the European ambition to gradually ramp up to 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030 as part of the European Green Deal. Norway was the first to start enforcing 0,5% of biofuels for flights originating from the country in 2020.

French energy giant TotalEnergies produces the SAF in its biofuel refineries of La Mède in the south of France and the Oudalle factory near Le Havre. But Total boss Patrick Pouyanné warned that “one should not dream that this ecological energy transition will come at the same price”. Expect at least $5 extra per ticket in France as soon as 2022.

Today, biofuels and e-fuels cost two times more than regular kerosine. Mass production can lower that cost. Or making kerosine more expensive with a European tax could help levering.

Zero-emission airplanes

European aerospace company, Airbus, believes flying on ‘green’ hydrogen as an alternative for fossil fuels will be possible by 2035, as the French government has required. That’s the date set by the French government to put €1,2 billion on the table by 2022 to support it as part of the rescue plan for the aviation industry.

In September last year, Airbus presented three concepts of zero-emission airplanes using liquified ‘green’ hydrogen. It believes these planes will be ready to start test-flying by 2028 and ready to fly by 2035 commercially.

Not too difficult?

Airbus says it’s not too difficult to adapt the jet engines for burning hydrogen instead of kerosine. It’s a technique that has been used for years in rocket engines and satellites. The real challenge is to house the cylindrical tanks under pressure with -253° Celcius cooled hydrogen.

Pure electrical flying – using batteries – will only be a solution for smaller aircraft for short distances, like domestic flights, as batteries needed for longer flights would be too heavy for a lift-off.


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Shell to build large production unit for biofuels in Rotterdam
Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On September 17, 2021


The British-Dutch oil and gas company, Shell, plans to construct a large production unit for biofuels at the Shell Energy and Park Rotterdam (the Netherlands), formerly known as the Pernis refinery. The Rotterdam plant will produce 820 000 tons of biofuels a year.

“A facility of this size could produce enough renewable diesel to avoid 2 800 000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year, the equivalent of taking more than 1 million European cars off the roads,” Shell states in its press release.

Paris Climate Agreement

The new facility will help the Netherlands and Europe meet internationally binding emissions reduction targets. It will also help Shell meet its own target of becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society’s progress toward achieving the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.

Shell wants to halve fossil fuel production by 2030 and produce cleaner fuels like biofuels and hydrogen. As part of its Powering Progress strategy, Shell is transforming its refineries (14 in October 2020) into five energy and chemicals parks. The new facility in Pernis should be operational by 2024.

Residual products

Shell aims to reduce the production of traditional fuels by 55% by 2030 and provide more low-carbon fuels such as biofuels for road transport and aviation, and hydrogen. These low-carbon fuels will help to meet growing demand from the transport sector, including hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as heavy road transport and aviation. SAF – Sustainable Aviation Fuel – currently accounts for around 0.1% of global aviation fuel.

The cleaner products will be based on used cooking oil, animal fat, coleseed oil, and other industrial and agricultural residual products, using advanced technology methods. The company has promised not to use palm oil for its biofuels.

In 2018, Dutch environmentalist organization, Milieudefensie, took Shell to court in The Hague to force the oil giant to accelerate greening and cut worldwide CO2 emissions by 45% in 2030, compared to 1990. The organization held Shell accountable for ‘dangerous climate damage’.

World’s first

In May 2021, the Dutch judge decided that Shell, as a company, has to accelerate reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was the world’s first that an oil company was sued for ‘climate damage’ and would be forced to change its strategies and investments.

The British-Dutch oil company has to almost halve (-45% compared to 2019) its CO2 emissions by 2030. The company also gets an obligation to perform to the best of its abilities. In other words, the court forces the oil company to review and adapt its business model.

Loss of biodiversity

Milieudefensie is not happy with the oil company’s plans and points out the disadvantages of biofuels. “The increased demand for vegetal oil leads to the loss of food crops, biodiversity, and land.” Moreover, the organization is not convinced either that Shell is going to emit less CO2.


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Ryanair promises 200 new jobs in Belgium
Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On September 1, 2021


Irish low-budget airline, Ryanair, launches eleven new destinations this winter season, all departing from Charleroi. This winter, Ryanair will fly to 97 destinations. The company will use fifteen airplanes in Belgium: thirteen of them will be operational in Charleroi, and two in Zaventem.

The company intends to become the most important player in Belgium, CEO Michael O’Leary told the press on Tuesday during a press conference in London.

Today, the Irish company employs almost 500 people in Belgium and O’Leary has even promised to create 200 additional jobs, 150 in Charleroi and 50 in Zaventem. Those extra jobs will be necessary to take care of the recovering air traffic after the corona pandemic.

The additional jobs came as a surprise because a while ago, O’Leary threatened to dismiss staff because the unions refused to agree with a pay drop. In March, a CBA was negotiated with regard to this, but until now, CNE and ACV Puls refused to sign because earlier agreements were not respected by the management.

Slots

The aviation sector was hit hard by the corona pandemic and its consequences. Now, the sector is recovering, and Ryanair expects to transport nine million passengers to and from Belgium annually. It would make the company the largest player in the Belgian market. The company also expects many new airplanes with more passenger seats, like the Boeing 737 MAX.

However, to be able to grow, the company needs additional slots for departure and landing in Belgium. It has had its eye on Brussels Airlines’ slots for a while, and Brussels Airlines refuses to release the slots it doesn’t use. A thorn in O’Leary’s flesh.

Recovery plan

The Ryanair CEO also opposed a recent proposal to increase taxes on flying. “Belgium needs a recovery plan for air traffic instead of additional taxes,” he said. “We have to lower taxes to promote traveling.”

This summer, Ryanair recovered well and was even profitable again, but the company fears for a hard winter, O’Leary admitted during the press conference. “We’ll try to bring traffic back to pre-corona levels, but it’ll only be possible with low-cost tickets. “We will not make big money, but we won’t lose much either.”

 


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Egypt, Moroccco: Brussels Airlines ventures into “not recommended” destinations
Luc Joris Posted On August 27, 2021


Brussels Airlines will again fly to more remote tourist destinations in the coming months. It will add Marrakech in Morocco and Hurghada in Egypt to its offer, destinations that the government currently strongly discourages because of the corona pandemic.

According to the airline, the demand for those sunny winter destinations is increasing, especially with the tour operators. Therefore, Brussels Airlines hopes that the travel advice will still change, says spokeswoman Maaike Andries to the Belga news agency.

Red zones

As of 30 September, Brussels Airlines will fly for the first time to Marrakech in Morocco, with flights on Thursdays and Sundays. The carrier is aiming at a mixed public of tourists and people visiting families. In June, Brussels Airlines also started operating flights to Tanger and Nador.

One month later, for the first time since March 2020, when the corona crisis started, the airline will fly to Egypt’s resort town of Hurghada on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Travel to countries outside the EU and Schengen area is still strongly discouraged. Moreover, Morocco and Egypt are considered red zones. For red zones outside the EU, stricter rules apply upon return to Belgium: even vaccinated persons must be tested. Those without a vaccination certificate must spend at least seven days in quarantine and undergo two tests.

More flights to sunny destinations

Lanzarote, however, is within the European Union, and Brussels Airlines will start offering it from 31 October. The airline also says it will fly more to Tenerife and Gran Canaria during the school holidays.

The full winter offer will be announced in September. How much capacity Brussels Airlines will use is not yet clear. “It will be lower than this summer,” says the spokeswoman. “September and October are still OK; there is still demand for holiday flights. But we will have to wait and see what the capacity of the entire winter will be.”


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Is there a future for ITA (formerly Alitalia)?
Tony Verhelle Posted On August 27, 2021


On the 15th of October, Alitalia (AerolineeInternazionali Italiane, also called ‘the wings of Italy’) will not exist anymore and be replaced by ITA, for Italia Trasporto Aereo). As a result, the fleet of Alitalia will be halved; the personnel is waiting anxiously for the impact on their lives.

Alitalia was created in 1947, after World War II, and began (like many other national carriers, remember Sabena) to run into trouble in the nineties, after the deregulation of air transport. Then, it carried one Italian air passenger out of two, totaling 28 million, and employed 22 000 people.

Continuous losses

Losses were accumulated, and restructuring was the keyword, but that always seemed cosmetic until now in Italy. A possible marriage with the Dutch national aircraft carrier KLM collapsed very soon after the honeymoon.

In 2008, Alitalia already went bankrupt the first time, and a new company (Alitalia-CAI) was created thanks to the Italian state absorbing all debts. Despite continuous losses, Middle-East carrier Etihad showed interest and created a third version of Alitalia, Societa Aerea Italiana.

In 2017, losses had already accumulated again, and the Italian State came rescuing once more, with transactions still under investigation by European authorities. Since then, things have worsened, but the pandemic halted some urgent settlements, and Europe showed itself more lenient for direct state aid.

Too heavy to survive

For years now, the Italian State has been looking for other partners to replace Etihad, and some showed interest. Still, all asked for a big ‘clean up’ on the personnel side, 11 000 employees being far too many for a company of this size.

The more so that the new company ITA will have to reduce its fleet to some 50 aircraft, almost half of what Alitalia used to have. According to different Italian sources, the new company plans to offer around 60 routes toward 45 destinations worldwide.

It remains to be seen if the loss of weight (in all departments) will work for the new company and how the unions will react. Almost all air carriers are in (very) difficult weather, especially the big national carriers.

Low-cost carriers, Ryanair leading the pack, seem to be recuperating better and quicker. The Irish ‘pirate’ has even shown some interest in the remains of Alitalia, a rather cynical change of destiny when one knows that carriers like Ryanair are the nails on the coffin of these once so proud national companies.

 

 

 


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Brussels Airport welcomes again one million passengers in one month
Luc Joris Posted On August 12, 2021


For the first time since the pandemic, Brussels Airport again received more than one million passengers in one month. In July, the airport welcomed 1 268 257 passengers, it announced Wednesday. The number of passengers was more than twice as high as in July 2020. But compared to times before corona, Zaventem airport is not yet at the halfway mark.

Holiday flights, especially within Europa, naturally positively impact the figures, as did trips to visit family or to go to a second residence. Spain, Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Turkey were the five most popular destinations in July. The top ten is further completed by Portugal, France, Germany, the USA, and Switzerland.

However, there is also a negative impact from the important holiday countries that are not yet accessible for organized holidays, such as Egypt, Tunisia, Cape Verde, and the Caribbean.

Cargo on the rise

In the first seven months of 2021, Brussels Airport welcomed 3,2 million passengers. That is about a fifth of the number of travellers in the first seven months of 2019. The number of passenger flights also decreased by 48% compared to July 2019. On average, there were 122 passengers per flight, compared to 137 two years ago. Brussels Airport also recorded more departing passengers than arriving passengers during this month, as is always the case for this period.

The Cargo department continues to do well. In July, almost 75 000 tonnes of cargo were handled at Brussels Airport, over a third more than July 2019 and July 2020. After seven months, the counter stands at 490 000 tonnes of cargo. That is 36% more than in the same period last year and over a quarter more than in the first seven months of 2019.

Delta now offers Thalys journey’s to Belgium from Schiphol hub

And the American airline Delta Air Lines is offering passengers who land at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and want to travel to Belgium also the option to do so on the Thalys train. From now on, passengers will be able to book the train ticker together with the plane ticket. Those who wish to do can still transfer to a KLM flight to Brussels. But from now on, they can also board the Thalys to Antwerp and Brussels with one booking.

Conversely, you can also take the high-speed train from Belgium to Schiphol to board a plane to the US with a single reservation. At the end of March 2020, KLM already canceled one of its daily flights between Amsterdam and Brussels, replacing it with a train ride with Thalys.

Delta Air Lines does not fly to Brussels Airport now but is planning to restart its service to New York (JFK Airport) at the end of October, a company spokesperson says. This is also confirmed by Brussels Airport.


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Hungarian WizzAir to triple its fleet to 500 planes by 2030
Joris Van Roy Posted On August 9, 2021


Ultra-low-cost airline WizzAir, which is flying from Charleroi Airport (Brussels South) in Belgium too, is to triple its fleet of aircraft from 140 to 500 by 2030, it announced. To staff these, the company counts on hiring some 4 600 extra pilots.

Like all others, WizzAir was touched by the pandemic too and saw the number of passengers drop by 75% to roughly 10 million in the last fiscal year, ending in March. It had to lay off some 1 000 people of its staff. But it claims it will be able to bring the number of flights to 44 countries back to pre-pandemic levels this summer. For that, it is looking to engage 300 pilots before the end of the year.

Serving 12 Eastern-European cities

WizzAir was founded in 2003 with funds from the lead investor Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm. CEO is József Váradi, former CEO of Malév Hungarian Airlines. From Brussels South, it serves flights to 12 cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary to start with, and Bulgary, Moldova, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, with Georgia added just before the disaster year 2020. WizzAir is present in Charlerloi since 17 years.


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Brussels Airlines: 57% fewer passengers and €143 million loss
Félix Bouland Posted On August 6, 2021


As the summer holidays are in full swing and air transport is taking off, Brussels Airline is at half-mast with an EBIT loss of 143 million euro at mid-2021. Revenues have dropped by 45% compared to the same period last year while the number of passengers transported between January and June fell by 57%.

Mother company Lufthansa, for its part, has announced having managed to cut its losses by half in the second quarter of 2021 and even reaching positive cash flow for the first time since the pandemic.

Ever since Covid-19 hit, the air transport sector has been in dire straits. Planes have been grounded, companies have gone bust, most of them lost money, and employees even lost their jobs. According to big players, this summer will play a key role in their future health. Brussels Airline remains cautious and doesn’t forecast any results for the annual financial year.

-45% in revenues

In a recent press release, Belgian air transport company, Brussels Airlines, paints a bleak picture of these past few months. Compared to last year, especially counting in the pre-Covid period, half-year revenues have dropped by 45% to 138 million euros. Between January and June, the company transported 57% fewer passengers.

“The Covid-19 crisis forced Brussels Airlines, after a good start to the year, to almost completely suspend operations between mid-March and mid-June 2020. Since then, numbers have been significantly lower and have not year recovered the pre-crisis levels”, notes the airline in a press release.

‘Tired and stressed’

Besides the financial aspect, the situation isn’t brighter on the side of employees. Propositions to make working conditions easier have been judged insufficient by unions, noting that the personnel is “tired and stressed”.

That being said, unions have made known that no strikes are in the pipeline. They just call upon Belgium, which helped the company with a 290 million euro envelope, to take responsibility and stop Lufthansa from pulling strings alone.

€756 million loss for Lufthansa

German airline group Lufthansa has managed to cut its losses by half this second quarter of 2021, posting a net profit of -756 million euro compared to -1,5 billion euro in 2020. The airline also confirms the sector’s recovery, albeit a slow one, noting that bookings have doubled for June alone.

Consequently, Lufthansa also reached positive cash flow for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. For the whole year, the German airline plans to reach 40% of the pre-Covid levels.

On Wednesday, a White House representative informed that the administration plans to reopen the USA’s borders to fully vaccinated passengers. “The reopening of transatlantic flights is only a question of time. It is still very important, as transatlantic flights are the most profitable ones”, noted Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa.


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DHL Express to fly twelve Alice electric cargo planes
Joris Van Roy Posted On August 4, 2021


DHL Express, the international courier and package delivery service division of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has ordered a fleet of twelve fully electric eCargo planes from the electric airplane manufacturer Eviation in Seattle.

Alice, as the plane is baptized, is flown by a single pilot and can carry a load of 1 200 kg. It ranges up to 440 nautical miles (814 km) and can charge at 30 minutes per flight hour. Alice’s first flight is scheduled for this year, final delivery for 2024.

Suppliers from eleven countries

In a hangar at Arlington Municipal Airport, just north of Seattle, Eviation is currently building the first Alice airplane, a passenger version for nine people and two crew to take off before the end of the year.

The plane is constructed with parts from suppliers in eleven different countries. Among them are GKN Aerospace, which delivers the wings, tail, and wiring, or the aerospace division of Honeywell. The latter contributes with fly-by-wire systems and cockpit instruments and screens, among others.

Two 640 kW motors

Alice is a fully electric airplane of 17 meters long and with a wingspan of 18 meters. It is battery-powered and propelled by two 640-kW magi650 electric propulsion units from the sister company MagniX.

This final production version differs quite dramatically from the prototype first shown at the 2019 Paris Air Show. The V-shaped tail became a ‘classic’ T-shape. The propellers at the wingtips complemented by a tail propeller are replaced by two units attached to the fuselage at the rear; a more simplified design, suggested by potential clients.

It only needs an airstrip of around 790 m to take off and land and flies at a maximum altitude of 32 000 feet (9 753 m), and reaches a cruising speed of 220 knots (407 km/h). In the eCargo version for DHL, flown by one pilot, the plane can carry a load of 1 200 kg.

Fewer moving parts

“Alice will operate in all environments currently serviced by piston and turbine aircraft,” DHL says in its press release. “Alice’s advanced electric motors have fewer moving parts to increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs. Its operating software constantly monitors flight performance to ensure optimal efficiency.”

Eviation was originally founded in 2015 by its current CEO, Omer Bar-Yohay, in Israel, where it still has a small research and development unit. Most of the staff – some 90 people – work in Arlington near Seattle, where its headquarters are.

Eviation’s chairman, Roei Ganzarski, is an Israeli-born former Boeing executive who is also the CEO of Seattle-based MagniX, the sister company delivering the engines.

Transforming aviation industry

“From day one, we set an audacious goal to transform the aviation industry and create a new era with electric aircraft,” said Eviation CEO Omer Bar-Yohay. “Partnering with companies like DHL, who are the leaders in sustainable e-cargo transportation, is a testament that the electric era is upon us.”

DPDHL Group’s new Sustainability roadmap announced in Q1 2021 targets zero emissions by 2050, like the EU is doing. The Group says it is investing a total of 7 billion euros by 2030 in measures to reduce its CO2 emissions. The funds will particularly go toward electrification of the last-mile delivery fleet, sustainable aviation fuels, and climate-neutral buildings.

 


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Aviation sector calls kerosine tax ‘counter-productive’
Joris Van Roy Posted On July 15, 2021


The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reacts as stung by a bee to the EU Commission’s intention to tax kerosine in the future for flights within the EU. It warns “that the reliance on taxation as the solution for cutting aviation emissions in the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposal is counter-productive to the goal of sustainable aviation.”

Dutch airline KLM goes even further, saying that a tax on kerosine in Europe might tempt other air carriers to fly an alternative route to avoid it and even cause higher emissions overall.

Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E) representing several European airlines says that “badly designed European taxes will not reduce emissions. By making flying more expensive, it may shift demand globally and reduce traffic locally. But it will not tackle the source of the emissions.”

‘We don’t need punitive measures’

“Aviation is committed to decarbonization as a global industry. We don’t need persuading or punitive measures like taxes to motivate change. In fact, taxes siphon money from the industry that could support emissions’ reducing investments in fleet renewal and clean technologies. To reduce emissions, we need governments to implement a constructive policy framework that, most immediately, focuses on production incentives for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and delivering the Single European Sky,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.

For the sector, the solution is to invest in alternative fuels to start with and zero-emission planes on hydrogen within a few decades. The sector is rather skeptical that zero-emission flying is something to rely on within the 2030 timeframe set by the EU’s Fit for 55. Airbus, for instance, is envisioning airplanes on hydrogen no sooner than 2035 to get airborne.

IATA emphasizes that Sustainable Aviation Fuels are reducing emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. But insufficient supply and high prices have limited airline uptake to 120 million liters in 2021—a small fraction of the 350 billion liters that airlines would consume in a ‘normal’ year.

Investments in new fleets

“For aviation, future European policies are crucial to ensure investment in new fleet, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), new technologies — such as electric and hydrogen aircraft, and to achieve more efficient air traffic management via an updated Single European Sky,” A4E says.

That ‘Single European Sky’ would avoid unnecessary emissions from fragmented air traffic management between member states. It could cut back Europe’s aviation emissions between 6-10%, says IATA, but national governments continue to delay implementation.

Supporting CORSIA

The sector is highly concerned about competition becoming warped if Europe enforces its own ETS system and would like to hold on to CORSIA, which is far less restrictive.

The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (SORSIA) was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and adopted in October 2016. Aircraft operators have to purchase carbon credits from the carbon market starting in 2021. But the scheme is voluntary for all countries until 2027. 

“The industry supports the (CORSIA) as a global measure for all international aviation. It avoids creating a patchwork of uncoordinated national or regional measures such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, that can undermine international cooperation.”

“Overlapping schemes can lead to the same emissions being paid for more than once. IATA is extremely concerned by the Commission’s proposal that European States would no longer implement CORSIA on all international flights.”

 

 

 


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Total to pull out from palm oil
Gert Verhoeven Posted On July 6, 2021


Last weekend the CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, indicated that Total is pulling the plug on palm oil.

This natural oil had recently come under fire because of the way the oil is extracted. In addition, the combination of monoculture and the chopping down of rainforests to grow palm oil has long been criticized.

Palm oil is used in the food industry; for Total, it was one component to produce biofuels as it is the cheapest vegetable oil.

Anticipating

TotalEnergies has a production site La Mède near the French city of Marseille, where biofuel based on palm oil is manufactured. However, from 2023 onwards, Total will not use palm oil on any of its sites anymore.

Although France has not yet vetoed biofuel production from palm oil, TotalEnergies has been listening to the growing criticism of this raw material that threatens the biodiversity of the countries of origin (Malaysia and Indonesia). An additional (not unimportant) consideration is that the production has never been profitable.

Aviation proves to be more lucrative

Total Energies has now switched to the production of aviation biofuels at the Mède site. This is produced based on used frying oil combined with green hydrogen.

The demand for aviation biofuel will increase because airline companies (in exchange for the Covid support they received from the various governments) will be obliged to reduce their CO2 emissions through green fuels.

Because of this increasing demand, the price of this fuel is rising, making the turnaround even more profitable for the fuel producer.

Marine application

TotalEnergies will also produce a reconditioned fuel with residual ship fuel and bio-natural gas. The latter will again be used for ships. With this sort of maritime fuel, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 67%.


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ZeroAvia sets bar higher with hydrogen-powered 19-seater aircraft
Joris Van Roy Posted On July 2, 2021


British-American start-up in hydrogen-powered aviation, ZeroAvia, is setting the bar higher again with the development of a 19-seater twin-engined airplane for short-haul flights, capable of covering a range of 800 km. ZeroAvia was the first to feature a six-seater H2-powered electric airplane passenger flight in September 2020.

ZeroAvia acquired two twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft from Guernsey’s regional airline Aurigny and AMC Aviation which used the planes on regional services. They will be converted with fuel cell-powered engines and are meant to be used for certifying them as the largest aviation hydrogen platform yet, to be commercially used from 2024.

UK Government fund

The Hyflyer II test and demonstration planes – one stationed in Kemble (UK) and one at the company’s site in Hollister (California) – will be retrofitted with two 600-kW hydrogen powertrains and a tank capacity of 100 kg of compressed hydrogen, giving them a range of 500 nautical miles (805 km).

For the 19-seater Hyflyer II project, ZeroAvia secured a £12,3 million (€14,3 million) UK Government grant after showing a successful Hyflyer I program with a converted Piper M-class six-seater with a 250-kW powertrain. That became the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger plane in September 2020.

Damaged on a rough landing

Apparently, that plane got damaged in April of this year during a routine pattern test flight, making an off-airport landing in a grass field outside Cranfield airport. According to ZeroAvia, “it caught the left main gear and wing in the uneven terrain at the end of the field at low speed. Everybody involved was safe and without injury.”

The plane ZeroAvia is taking in hand now, the Dornier 228, is a twin-turboprop STOL (short take-off and landing) utility aircraft, being capable of operating from rough runways and in hot climates. In total, 245 of them were built between 1981 and 1998 by the German aircraft builder.

German hydrogen plane

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) was the first to announce in November 2020 to use a Dornier 228 to equip it with a fuel cell and 500 kW engines and turn it into a hydrogen-electric demonstrator planned for 2026.

Beginning this year, the German ministry of transport provided a grant of 6 million euros for the BALIS project, which aims to develop a fuel-cell powertrain of some 1,5 megawatt, enough to power a 40-60 seat regional aircraft that can fly 1 000 km. That would then rather be a Dornier 328 turboprop, being a 30-44 seater regional aircraft.

ZeroAvia’s ambitions go further than the 19-seater for regional flights too. It raised another $13 million (€10,9 million) from a series of venture capitalists, among which AP Ventures, Shell Ventures, and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to start up a 50- to 80-seater project to be realized in 2026. That should pave the way for a +200 seater with a +3 700 km range by 2030, and ultimately one capable of flying more than 5 000 nm or 9 260 km by 2040.

Airbus to burn hydrogen

European aerospace company, Airbus, has presented in September last year three concepts of zero-emission airplanes using liquified ‘green’ hydrogen as fuel. So Airbus is planning to burn the hydrogen rather than use it in fuel cells to propel electric engines.

It believes these planes will be ready to start test-flying by 2028 and ready to fly by 2035 commercially. That’s the date set by the French government to put €1,2 billion on the table by 2022 to support it as part of the rescue plan for the aviation industry.

120 to 200 passengers

The most ‘classic’ designs are the turbofan – with jet engines – for 120 to 200 passengers and a turboprop design – with propellers – for up to 100 passengers for the short haul. They’ll have a range of more than 2 000 nautical miles (3 700 km), capable of operating transcontinentally and powered by a modified gas-turbine engine burning hydrogen.

The most spectacular design is the delta wing Airbus is working on since 2017, the MAVERIC. Airbus already revealed a demonstrator scale model in February. It is a so-called ‘blended-wing body’ design for up to 200 passengers in which the wings merge with the main body of the aircraft.

 

 

 

 


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