How private aviation is becoming more sustainable

Private travel, especially aviation has been stigmatised quite profoundly over its reputation of contributing to the earth’s climate change crisis. But you might be surprised to learn how much more sustainable the sector is becoming to meet the greener expectations of the near future.

 

As issues become more prevalent, the private sector is taking large strides towards a greener future and here we’ll be putting the spotlight on a few areas in which real strides are being made.

Empty leg flights

 

Private travel has developed a reputation for being wasteful but many private airlines have implemented empty leg flights into their schedules in recent years. Empty leg flights are, as the name suggests, flights that have been scheduled that have no passengers or even cargo and are flying to reposition themselves for the next flight or fly to a different airport to pick up a customer.

 

These flights are often added to an itinerary at the last-minute for a fraction of the cost of a regular private flight and offer comfortably the most affordable and sustainable way to fly private as it is a way of making use of air-time that would have been made anyway. A great way to take your first steps into the world of private aviation.

Innovative technology

 

Private jets have been investing heavily in fuel efficiency technology in recent years which means planes are able to travel further and faster using less fuel. Aviation is actually considered one of the most cutting-edge sectors when it comes to green technology and the private sector is leagues ahead as it’s generally easier to build new technology into smaller planes than larger passenger planes.

 

We are even seeing the very early stage of electric aircraft though battery technology still has a long way to go before it can carry people reliably across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s thought that electric planes will first start being tested on domestic flights as there are fewer risks to consider. It’s still years away but it’s a development that is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Carbon offsetting and carbon credit

 

If the aviation sector wants to “close the emissions gap” then it’s going to require more assertive action from not only governments but the private sector. That’s why many top private aviation firms have started participating in schemes engineered to trigger an equivalent reduction of all emissions created by their flights.

 

This is done primarily by planting trees but there are more holistic approaches that can be taken. For example, they can purchase carbon credits, which will be used to further the development of projects in the area of renewable energy and climate adaptation. Some companies have even taken to using sustainable aviation fuel which is produced from sustainable feedstocks and cuts emissions by as much as 80%.