Business aviation: Working together for the greener good

Products, policies and procedures. That’s the three-pronged approach that business aviation is taking to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) – which represents 11,000 stakeholder organizations, including Bombardier – the industry is pursuing all three of those pathways to mitigate its climate impact. 

“Along with net zero emissions by 2050, business aviation is also aiming for a two per cent average improvement in fuel efficiency per year from 2020 to 2030, and carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards,” explained Dan Hubbard, NBAA’s senior vice president of communications.  

He pointed to the updated Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change (BACCC), a document first released in 2009 and later amended in 2016.   

While the document is not prescriptive, it does lay out how products, policies and procedures will combine to mitigate business aviation’s climate impact. The sector is responsible for about two per cent of all aviation emissions and 0.04 per cent of all global man-made carbon emissions. 

“In term of products, they are the various technologies that may help us get there,” said Hubbard. “One in particular is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This will be key to helping us reach that net zero carbon future. The good news is that it’s ready to go now – a perfectly safe, certified alternative to Jet A conventional fuel. But, it’s not yet available to scale and it costs more than traditional Jet A.” 

Industry is working both ends of that problem, said Hubbard. As fuel producers work to build more infrastructure to refine and deliver SAF, policies such as the blender’s tax credit in the U.S. are making it less expensive to purchase sustainable aviation fuel. 

“If you make it less expensive to buy the gas, people are more inclined to build the infrastructure,” noted Hubbard. “Several states and the federal government have adopted blender’s tax credits.” 

While SAF will account for the largest reductions in aviation emissions, procedural changes will contribute, too. Hubbard said business aviation is making improvements from the ground up. 

Fixed-base operators (FBOs) are now using electric towing equipment and running auxiliary power units (APUs) intermittently. Operators are employing other fuel-saving measures, such as taxiing out on only one engine.  

“Companies with flight departments are increasingly looking at green initiatives when it comes to their hangar and office. They are meeting LEED standards and other sustainability standards. We are seeing FBOs marching in this direction, too.” 

Hubbard also said the NBAA has helped its members work with the Federal Aviation Administration to pursue more efficient in-air procedures. 

“One key improvement is sloped approaches, which have been coming online over the past few years. A sloped approach is more gradual and there is no need for high power steps, which reduces fuel consumption. There are other in-flight technologies, like ADS-B, that allow for more efficient use of the airspace and that include more efficient routings from a sustainability standpoint. Satellite technology allows us to track aircraft second by second, so controllers can tighten up the gaps and the point-to-point distance is shorter.” 

For all these measures on the ground and in the air, SAF will still be the most important when it comes to reducing aircraft emissions.  

“SAF sounds too good to be true, but it can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent,” said Hubbard. “But again, we have an availability question. How can we bridge the time between today, when SAF is ready and effective, and the moment when it will be widely available?” 

Market-based measures 

As business aviation waits for ready access to SAF, industry is voluntarily pursuing market-based measures – such as carbon offset programs and book-and-claim – that allow operators to make a difference now. 

With carbon credits, companies invest in reputable programs with proven environmental benefits, buying enough credits to offset their flight activity. In exchange, they receive a legal receipt. 

Although in the nascent stage, book-and-claim offers the benefit of increasing the demand for SAF – which in turn ramps up production. 

Hubbard explained book-and-claim: “You basically pay for the SAF even at places where it’s not available. If there is a book-and-claim program in place, you pay the amount per gallon that it would have cost for SAF. Then, the fuel is pumped into another aircraft that is operating where the fuel is actually available. In this way, the environment benefits while the operator who paid for the SAF gets the environmental credit.” 

Bombardier is a strong advocate for SAF and has taken significant steps to help increase demand for the greener fuel. In October 2022, the company signed a deal with Signature Aviation that will see all its flight operations activity covered by SAF through the book-and-claim system. 

The right expertise 

When it comes to sustainability, business aircraft manufacturers represent the highest level of in-depth, front-line expertise available. Bombardier has been a key contributor to NBAA’s sustainability initiatives and continues to participate in industry coalitions to effect change. 

“The people in those coalitions have been working on the questions surrounding sustainability for decades, and they have a depth of knowledge you can’t find elsewhere,” said Hubbard.  

“The other important piece is that ‘coalition’ is a key word. Any time a constituency can coalesce around a priority, that is when a lot of work gets done. This is where business aviation does very well, when we as an industry come together around a shared priority.” 

He commented on Bombardier’s EcoJet research program, which combines improvements in aerodynamics and propulsion to reduce jet emissions by up to 50 per cent. 

“The EcoJet is a very exciting program,” said Hubbard. “When you get the right expertise lined up, it’s amazing all the things you can accomplish.” 

He pointed to other industry initiatives, such as the move to lighter composite materials and interiors made entirely from recycled materials, as other key achievements. In addition, electric and hydrogen propulsion – and hybrid technologies – promise additional green advancements. 

“We are very excited about what the future holds for business aviation and sustainability because it reflects a stunning amount of innovation on the industry’s part, and innovation is one of the hallmarks of business aviation,” concluded Hubbard.  

“The innovations we make now will lead to further exciting innovations we can’t even imagine. The future is even more exciting than we can understand today.”