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IATA head praises Asian airlines, urges more effort for environment Praising airlines in countries like Australia for reducing flight times to Asian destinations and recognizing the relative age of the region’s fleet, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) nonetheless urged carriers in the region to stress efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. In his speech at the Greener Skies Conference in Hong Kong, Giovanni Bisignani told a group of airline representatives that effective management of air traffic would cut back on time in the air. Bisignani said that greater efficiencies were superior to imposing taxes, such as the United Kingdom’s air passenger duty. “Asia is a major player in the industry. Now is the time to shout politely to communicate our story in Asia – to ensure that governments and the public understand the good things that we are doing, and to implicate government in the solutions. This will be Asia’s best insurance against the same ort of crisis faced in Europe,” Bisignani said. Some of Asia’s strongest environmental selling points, said Bisignani, are a fleet of aircraft that average 10 years of age as opposed to 12 for the rest of the world. As an example, Australia has reduced flight times to its destinations in Asia by two to three minutes through flexible tracks that allow aircraft to take advantage of the best flying conditions. According to IATA, one less minute in flight saves 62 liters of fuel and 160 kilograms of carbon emissions. Taxing airlines and passengers is “becoming a popular sport,” said Bisignani. Worldwide, airlines pay US$42 billion in taxes. “More taxes only rob us of the cash to invest in new technology, and the opportunity to improve our performance,” said Bisignani. The head of IATA also urged a program of emissions trading, possibly through the International Civil Aviation Organization. And although the A380 and the 787 will be fuel-efficient aircraft, Bisignani said the aviation world should already be thinking about the next generation of aircraft that could be powered by some type of alternative fuel. The industry has set a target of a 10 percent conversion to alternative fuels by 2020. The Greener Skies Conference was held at the end of March and organized by Orient Aviation magazine. |
