The big, bold steps needed to make aviation cleaner are being discussed in Hong Kong.
Global aviation leaders have been told the world is acting far too slowly to embrace clean technology.
With the spectres of recent typhoons and US President Donald Trump lingering, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) World Sustainability Symposium started in Hong Kong today.
The third such summit, it is addressing issues for airlines including building supply chains and markets for sustainable aviation fuel (Saf).
Delegates from airlines, manufacturers and others across aviation are present.
Dr Marie Owens Thomsen, Iata chief economist and senior vice-president for sustainability, addressed the slow uptake of Saf, and gridlock around carbon offsetting.
“It is in Asia where most of the traffic growth is going to come from … in the coming decades and into 2050," she said.
“And this is also likely where many of the solutions are going to be generated.”
Owens Thomsen addressed Saf issues and Corsia, the global, market-based scheme aiming to help reduce emissions.
“What we need is globally harmonised rules and certifications,” she said.
“What we’re getting instead is fragmentation, me-first policies, higher costs and very little decarbonisation.
“This is a market failure of epic proportions.”
Owens Thomsen said new technologies, knowledge and a desire to change were already present.
“There is a way and now we call on our world leaders to show us there’s also a will.”
A panel discussion mentioned political challenges including some of Trump’s positions on climate change and climate change sceptics within the industry too.
“Political movements will come. Political movements will go. There will always be outliers,” said Patrick Healy, Cathay Group chairman.
But he said the world was on track for unsustainable levels of global warming and any industry serious about wanting a social licence to operate needed to take action.
“We’re going to be living with liquid fuels for many decades to come,” Healy said.
The symposium heard a new sustainability deal involving Airbus and Cathy was set to be announced at WSS 2025.
The Cathay chair said a multi trillion-dollar investment would be needed in years ahead for renewably-generated liquid fuel.
He said US$5.2 trillion had been invested worldwide in solar and wind power in the past decade.
But electricity generated from those sources was today cheaper than before, he added.
Healy said the dollar figures were enormous but on a similar scale of magnitude for Saf.
“This is just the next phase of the energy transition.”
Willie Walsh, Iata director general, said decarbonisation would be difficult and expensive, but was necessary.
“We’re not going to try and shy away from the challenges.”
Walsh said the industry had in the past probably underestimated the scale of the challenge.
He said progress was being made, but it was far too slow.
“We’re disappointed in the levels of Saf being produced.”
Walsh said the aviation sector had perhaps been guilty of thinking sustainable fuel was a topic unique to the industry.
He said road transport and other industries would need to invest in infrastructure to develop sustainable fuel.
The symposium heard Opec had signalled there was a demand, and a future, for sustainable liquid fuels beyond Saf.
He said Saf presented big opportunities for countries wanting to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Walsh was asked what he imagined aviation would look like in 2050.
“The industry’s going to be bigger. It’s going to be more exciting.”
He said Africa might finally “get its act together” and aviation would also be crucial in boosting connectivity in India.
Healy said fleets would look much as they do today, because many of the aircraft currently being bought would still be flying.
Mable Chan, Hong Kong SAR transport and logistics secretary, said she was exploring the creation of a new Saf facility in Hong Kong.
In relation to Saf, she said she was keen to bolster the bargaining power of airlines operating out of Hong Kong (HKIA).
Chan said the region hoped to achieve critical mass and robust Saf supply.
Initially, the SAR government wanted Saf to supply 1%-2% of fuel for all flights leaving Hong Kong by 2030.
“So we set a target which we want to achieve, and that’s a starting point and it should not preclude us or hinder us from setting an even more aggressive target along the way.”
Referring to the climate crisis, Chan said Hong Kong had faced an unusually high frequency of typhoons lately.
She said renewable diesel, more electric vehicles, and use of unmanned vehicles were also being explored as ways of making HKIA greener.
Local media set up to ask Chan some questions after her speech but she did not stop.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Group chief executive, said the airline had examined its fleet and prioritised fuel-efficient aircraft when considering new purchases.
“We currently have more than 100 new-generation wide-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft and freighters in our delivery pipeline.”
He said the development of a robust Saf ecosystem was crucial.
“When it comes to Saf, one thing is certain: We cannot do it alone.”
On Monday, those already in the city heard from Cathay Pacific’s Stella Wang, the airline’s head of cargo customer experience.
She said Hong Kong was the world’s busiest cargo hub and Cathay had been taking steps to improve its sustainability and tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Wang also explained how the airline transported pandas.
“All the other cargo was loaded first.”
The pandas were positioned closest to the cargo door.
Wang said Cathay used “track-and-trace” technology capturing ambient environmental data every five minutes to ensure panda welfare.
Navin Chellaram, Cathay Technologies chief executive, said previously 70kg of paperwork was needed in the cockpit on every flight for data on airports, passengers, cargo and fuel.
That paperwork amounted to an estimated 13,400 tons of extra fuel needed every year across the fleet, he said.
Chellaram said Cathay spent several years building an app to allow pilots to view that data on a tablet.
Now the airline was keen to help other carriers who wanted to use a similar fuel-saving app, he said.
The symposium continues today and Wednesday.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
The Herald travelled to Hong Kong courtesy of IATA and Cathay Pacific.