Indian aviation takes baby steps to sustainability this World Environment Day

World Environment Day

On May 19, AirAsia India became the first airline in the country to operate a commercial flight using indigenously produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This was within days of Vistara operating a flight between New Delhi and Mumbai with a 17 percent blend of SAF.

World Environment Day is observed every June 5 and this year, the focus has shifted to everything sustainable. And aviation, even with its high costs, is taking giant strides on this front.

From the International Air Transport Association’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to India’s pledge for net zero emissions by 2070, the country is taking small steps before making a giant leap to meet these goals. IATA represents about 300 airlines comprising 83 percent of global air traffic.

While the flights by AirAsia India and Vistara using SAF may have been symbolic, airlines in India have been doing their bit progressively.

Akasa Air, the latest entrant in Indian skies, uses biodegradable bags and waste management products. IndiGo became the first airline in India to publish its ESG (environment, social and governance) report and transparently disclose its work towards sustainability.

Reducing meal waste

Budget airlines in India, with a market share hovering at about 80 percent, have progressively moved to eliminate waste that comes from serving fresh meals. On most such airlines now, including market leader IndiGo and Akasa Air, fresh meals must be booked.

They also have buy-on-board options to offer flyers cookies, dry fruits or ready-to-eat packages that have a longer shelf life. Akasa Air has biodegradable cutlery with meals in 100 percent recyclable packaging.
Airlines had been trying to get rid of single-use plastic until 2019. When the pandemic hit, though, single-use plastic was brought back as a safety measure. With this year’s theme on World Environment day being Beat Plastic Pollution, the focus is back on eliminating plastic.

Air India has said it will stop handing over small plastic bottles with water and instead rely on service runs with either large bottles or reusable containers.

Fleet renewal

Indian carriers have been at the forefront of renewing their fleets – buying more fuel-efficient planes to replace older aircraft. The country is dominated by narrowbody aircraft and airlines have been investing heavily in fleet modernisation. Akasa Air, which currently has 19 aircraft, has all 737 MAX in its fleet, which are new-generation planes.

All but one of Vistara’s narrowbody aircraft are from the A320neo family, while 92 percent of IndiGo’s narrowbody fleet comprises A320neo family aircraft.

Air India and SpiceJet are the only carriers that do not have the majority of their planes as “next generation” fuel efficient planes. For Air India, the 470 aircraft it has ordered from Airbus and Boeing are all next-generation fuel-efficient planes. SpiceJet has had B737 MAX on order but even after repeated announcements, it has not inducted any new MAX in its fleet yet.

Airports not far behind

Over the years, both smaller and larger airports have focused on making maximum use of sunlight in their terminals to reduce electricity consumption. In addition, airports have built solar farms to make the maximum use of solar energy.

From Kochi becoming the world’s first solar-powered airport to Bengaluru’s T2 terminal estimating savings of 24 percent on electricity charges due to usage of natural light, airports are chipping in with their contribution.

India’s biggest airport, in New Delhi, became the first Level 4 accredited airport in Asia Pacific under the Airport Council International's Carbon Accreditation programme. The flagship Terminal 3 achieved LEED NC Gold and IGBC Platinum green building status. The airport has operated entirely on hydro and solar power since June 2022.

Airlines and airports have collaborated to use electric vehicles for their ground operations. Delhi leads the way in this effort, having replaced over 95 percent of its vehicle fleet with EVs.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has been free of single-use plastic since 2019. It recently installed reverse vending machines to encourage recycling of plastic bottles. This also facilitated its commitment to incorporate sustainability in all aspects of its business and to achieve zero waste-to-landfill by reducing and recycling plastic waste.

Tail Note

For Akasa Air, sustainability has extended even to crew uniforms and shoes. The trousers and jacket were developed using recycled polyester fabric, which is made from pet bottle plastic salvaged from marine waste. The soles of shoes are made from recycled rubber and no plastic is used.
Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, spoke about blending 1 percent of SAF with aviation turbine fuel after 2025.

This is just one of the many steps the industry and the country are taking towards a better environment.

SAF is a fuel used in commercial aviation that reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent, according to IATA. It can be produced from sources including waste oil and fats, green and municipal waste and non-food crops.