Page 9 - ATC Special Bulletin Series - Meteorology 2022-01

Marylin Bastin
extra fuel and producing 19,000 additional tonnes of CO2. And this is expected to increase due to future changes to extreme weather. By 2050 the average delay for a flight impacted by a major storm is projected to be around 20-22 minutes, with horizontal flight inefficiency expected to worsen by 0.5% by 2050. That will create an additional 5,700 t CO2 per year, adding around 40 nautical miles to every 1,000 nm flight on severe weather days, and further increasing costs.
Rising sea levels are also a growing risk for Europe’s airports. By 2090, two-thirds of coastal or low-lying airports are projected to be at risk of flooding in the event of a storm surge, with a 1-day airport closure due to flooding estimated to cost between €3 million (medium-sized airports) and €18 million (large airports) due to diverted, delayed and cancelled flights. There are also knock-on effects for air traffic across the network if an airport is closed, particularly if it is a major hub, and secondary impacts such as the loss of ground transport links to bring passengers and employees to the airport.
With impacts like this on the horizon it is essential that all aviation organisations, large and small, intensify their contingency planning, carry out climate change risk assessments and implement adaptation plans. This is vital at organisational level, but we also need to take an integrated and collaborative approach across the European aviation network. In response, EUROCONTROL and airports association ACI EUROPE are establishing the European Aviation Climate Change Adaptation Working Group to support operational stakeholders in adapting to the impacts of climate change. The group will develop guidance, provide peer-to-peer support and identify good practices which can contribute to building a climate resilient aviation sector. The first meeting was held in Brussels in mid- September 2022.
The findings of the Climate Change Risks for European Aviation study prove again why it is in aviation’s self-interest to become more sustainable. The European Union Fit for 55 package sets a challenging policy goals for aviation to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030. EUROCONTROL’s Objective Skygreen report demonstrates how this can be achieved and how much it will cost. It finds that to reach the 2030 goal, 4.6% of emissions reductions will need to come from sustainable aviation fuel, 2.1% will come from airline fleet upgrades and 10.4% will be obtained from air traffic management improvements. The remaining 83% contribution to the net reduction in 2030 will be achieved via marked-based measures, mainly via the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and CORSIA.
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