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Air travel is an integral part of modern life, vital to the global economy and valued by the travelling public. The continued growth in the demand for air travel worldwide presents major environmental challenges. The Sustainable Aviation strategy signals UK industry's commitment to deliver environmental improvement, alongside continued economic growth and social responsibility.

Air travel and climate change

• Globally, air travel represents about 2 per cent of manmade carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
• Total departing flights from UK airports represented 6.3 per cent of total UK CO2 emissions in 2004.
• Total UK CO2 emissions are about 2 per cent of global emissions.

Environmental track record

• Industry has delivered a 50 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency in the last 30 years and a 75 per cent reduction in noise nuisance.
• Through the introduction of quieter planes
  the noise contour area around Heathrow has shrunk - reducing the population exposed to significant disturbance by 85 per cent between 1974 and 2000.
  

SBAC and Sustainable Aviation
UK aerospace has done much to improve its environmental footprint in recent years.

The widespread adoption of environmental management systems (EMS) coupled with improved manufacturing techniques and the removal of certain chemicals from manufacturing processes has been highly significant.

At the product level, SBAC's members are investing heavily in research and development to design and manufacture aircraft and engines that are leading to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and noise, as part of their commitments to the 2020 ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) targets.

These include innovative new aircraft designed with the environment in mind such as the Airbus A380 and more environmentally friendly engines such as the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, as well as important advancements in the use of lightweight composite materials which improve fuel efficiency. The sector is also actively examining the benefits from recycling aircraft once they reach the end of their service lives.

The results of this year's industry survey show that UK aerospace is driven by research investing £2.9 billion in 2007. There is no doubt that UK aerospace is at the forefront of work to identify, design and deliver the technologies required for aviation to be sustainable in the long term.

Further information on the Sustainable Aviation strategy can be found at
www.sustainableaviation.co.uk