Emirates has no choice but to invest in SAF |

Emirates is stepping up its initiatives to reduce carbon emissions by investing $200 million in a new fund. This will invest in the next three years in research and development to reduce the impact of fossil fuels. With the announcement, Emirates is taking on a more prominent role in sustainability. Emirates has no choice but to invest in SAF. For some time, it has been perceived that Emirates is behind its competitors on sustainable aviation initiatives. Whereas its neighbor Etihad Airways has been actively pursuing initiatives to become more sustainable, Emirates kept a low profile. Behind the scenes, the Dubai-based carrier has been very active, as Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim told AirInsight in an interview at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. In the FY2022-2023 annual report that was released today, Emirates reaffirms that it is fully committed to sustainability, supports ICAO’s long-term aspirational goal of net zero carbon emissions in 2050, is participating in carbon offsetting programs, and is investing in new and more efficient aircraft. It also supports sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This includes a roadmap strategy to produce power-to-liquid fuels in the UAE announced in July 2022 and the National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap announced in January this year. As part of the SAF strategy, Emirates demonstrated the use of 100 percent SAF on one of the two engines on a Boeing 777-300ER in a joint initiative with Boeing and General Electric on January 30. Actually, Emirates flew its first flight on a blend of SAF back in 2017 and will seek opportunities to purchase SAF in its network when and where possible. But the supply of SAF is still very limited, something that is pointed out by IATA and other airline lobby groups like Airlines 4 Europe. The introduction of more fuel-efficient twins like the Boeing 787-9 (picture) and Airbus A3500-900 will be key to reducing carbon emissions. (Emirates) Current pathways are inadequate By financially supporting a new R&D fund, Emirates wishes to take SAF to another level. As President and CEO Sir Tim Clark said in a media statement: “We are ring-fencing $200 million to invest in advanced fuel and energy solutions for aviation, which is where airlines currently face the biggest impediment in reducing our environmental impact.” Emirates has to go on the SAF path: “We looked long and hard at the reality we face in commercial aircraft and engine technology, fuel supply chain, and our industry’s regulatory and eco-system requirements. It’s clear that with the current pathways available to airlines in terms of emissions reduction, our industry won’t be able to hit net zero targets in the prescribed timeline.” “We believe our industry needs better solutions, and that’s why we’re looking to partner with leading organizations on R&D. Our aim is to contribute meaningfully to practical solutions for the long-term sustainability of commercial aviation. Our $200 million fund is earmarked for R&D, and not for operating costs like the purchase of SAF or carbon offsets to tick regulatory boxes - activities we consider business-as-usual.” Green SOPs Another initiative at Emirates to curb emissions is the implementation of Green Standard Operating Procedures or Green SOPs The annual report says, this includes reduced engine taxi, idle reverse, prudent judgement on extra fuel, optimized flap landing, inflight speed management to minimize fuel burn, and use of direct routing opportunities. “In 2022-23, Green SOPs and other operating initiatives helped to reduce fuel burn by more than 50.000 tonnes and carbon emissions by over 160.000 tonnes.” Since 2003, Emirates also has been reducing fuel burn by operating flexible routes or flex tracks. Aircraft are offered the most efficient flight plan by air navigation service providers to take advantage of natural tailwinds while avoiding headwinds and weather systems. At airports, the use of ground power instead of the aircraft’s own Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) will help to reduce emissions. Inherently fuel-inefficient The problem for Emirates is that, by the nature of its long-haul network, it has to operate aircraft that are inherently fuel-inefficient, specifically the four-engine Airbus A380. While more efficient, the 777-300ERs are not the best in class anymore. You have to keep that in mind when reading the annual report, which says: “Operating modern and fuel-efficient aircraft has always been central to Emirates’ business model. We fly one of the youngest wide-body aircraft fleets with an average age of 9.1 years, considerably lower than the industry average. Our new-generation Airbus A350 and Boeing aircraft will also provide greater fuel efficiency as they join our fleet starting in 2024 and 2025 respectively.” Yet, Emirates has been able to reduce the carbon emissions of its passenger and freighter fleet: “Our combined carbon intensity measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per tonne-kilometer (kgCO2/TK) improved five percent from 2020-21 to 2021-22 (from 0.858 to 0.815 kgCO2/TK), and four percent this financial year compared to 2021-22 (from 0.815 to 0.783 kgCO2/TK). Through ongoing implementation of fuel efficiency initiatives, Emirates intends to continue improving its CO2 intensity.” Until new fuels become available, the only option for Emirates to significantly reduce net-zero emissions is through SAF. Today's initiative should hopefully get it there.

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