Eco-labelling debate divides aviation industry

Friday 29 February 2008

Airline & Airport Updates

Virgin Atlantic's experiment with biofuel has allowed the debate over the carbon footprint to rage on this week, but one of the month's major developments has been the strides forward in plans for 'eco-labelling' aircraft.

Regional carrier Flybe has already chosen to eco-label its flights, informing passengers of the CO2 impact of their journey, but despite parliamentary backing for the scheme, concerns have been raised in several quarters.

A House of Commons treasury select committee report recently claimed that an industry-wide system of eco-labelling would be a positive development, but Laurence Price, director of aviation strategy at The Mott MacDonald Group development consultancy, cited various complications.

He claimed that it was in the interests of airlines to reduce their fuel usage and cut their own costs, but claimed that an eco-label would not take into account freight capacity and efficiency per passenger.

He said: "Take two aeroplanes of exactly the same size, make, power output and engines. In one put 150 people; in the other put 200 - the unit output in terms of emissions per passenger per mile changes dramatically."

While subscribing to the idea of eco-labelling, Flybe has also spent more than £2 billion improving enhancing the efficiency of its fuel consumption, through development of the Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 195 planes.