International Air Transport Association Says Airline Industry will Be Clean by 2050

It now seems that the International Air Transport Association thinks that the airline industry is going to have a major turnaround over the next 40 years. In fact, the association has been spelling out its vision for the whole industry by saying that it will be clean, safe and delay-free for world travelers by 2050.

Giovanni Bisignani, the International Air Transport Association chief executive, said that their new projections suggest that this year will see the first recovery of the airline industry since the economic downturn. Over the next 40 years, the airline industry will be very close to zero accidents. The airline industry will also be emitting about half of the carbon that it is currently producing.

A lot of this is due to the use of bio fuels. Bisignani said that today’s jet fuel just will not sustain the industry much longer. The biggest opportunity for the industry to cut down on carbon emissions is by using bio fuels. This could lower the industry’s carbon footprint by some 80 percent.

On top of this, consumers will be traveling with almost no delays. Right now it is suggested that a consolidation of air traffic control services will make air travel far more efficient. The International Air Transport Association says that the current system for air traffic control wastes some 16 million tonnes of CO2 a year in Europe alone. This is due to things like delays and, of course, indirect routing.

Mr Bisignani says that the recent global travel disruption that was caused by the volcanic ash was a wake up call to the airline industry. It was there to remind them that, without air connectivity, modern life is not possible.