According to the UN’s International Panel for Climate Change aviation accounts for 2% of man made CO2 emissions, automobiles 18% and fossil fuel power generation 35%. Despite the fact that aviation accounts for a relatively percentage of the total, there are considerable fuel efficiency gains to be made in the aviation sector. Since 1998, Cathay Pacific Airways has improved its fuel efficiency by 20% per ATK (a measure of capacity) due to measures such as fuel management programmes and collaborative efforts with engine manufacturers to enhance fuel efficiency.

There are several areas related to global warming that need addressing in the China aviation sector. Flight corridors need to be improved to reduce additional flight time. A recent adjustment to the mainland China to Europe routing will save 500 flight hours a year for CX alone, equating to 5,000 tonnes of fuel and about 15,000 tonnes of CO2.
Another example is Air Traffic Management. For example, in the Pearl River Delta, aircraft traveling to and from Hong Kong are obliged to depart and enter mainland airspace above 15,000 feet. So instead of taking off and climbing over mainland China, aircraft are forced to circle over Hong Kong until they have reached the required altitude before they can cross over into mainland airspace. Lifting this restriction, would give Cathay Pacific and Dragonair alone annual fuel savings of over 32,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2. Clearly there is a need to address these types of issues in order to ensure that the environmental impact or rapid economic growth is minimized.

By Justin Murray
(Commercial manager of Cathay Pacific Airway China)