Higher load factors and less premium-class seating could make air travel far more efficient, according to a University of Oxford study.
Aviation is widely recognised as a hard-to-abate sector. Although there are mandates in place for the use of sustainable aviation fuels and much research into hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft – as well as other designs and technologies including blended wing aircraft – much of these remain in the early stages.
In an international study led by the university, researchers set out to discover what impact could be made to reducing aviation’s carbon emissions by simply using planes more efficiently. For instance, this could be by ensuring they aren’t flying with empty seats by scaling back on premium-class seating and replacing older, inefficient aircraft models with more modern ones.
Milan Klöwer, Natural Environment Research Council independent research fellow at the University of Oxford, said: “Aviation is responsible for 2-3% of global CO₂, but its...