CO2 emissions declined in the year 2020 in Indian Aviation Sector and to continue further – EQ Mag Pro
DGCA compiles CO2 emissions data based on the information received from the Indian scheduled carriers. Details of CO2 emissions from 2016 to 2020 may be seen at Annexure. The CO2 emissions have increased till 2019 and declined in the year 2020.
Steps to address the issue of CO2 emission include the following:
(i) Measures taken by airports to reduce carbon footprint include replacing non-renewable energy sources with renewable energy sources like hydro, solar panels and wind, rationalization of operating times/procedures, use of alternative fuels in ground handling vehicles, etc.
Ministry of Civil Aviation has written to the operators of all the brownfield airports with scheduled operations and developers of the upcoming greenfield airports advising them to work towards achieving Carbon neutrality and Net Zero, to get accreditation by Airports Council International (ACI/ISO 14064 through empaneled verifiers) and to adopt Carbon mitigation measures as well as Carbon management plans.
Airports Authority of India has taken initiatives such as Energy Intensity Data publication aimed at reducing energy intensity for existing as well as upcoming airport projects. Further, a training module has been created as a part of induction training programme for Air Traffic controllers to sensitize them towards Carbon neutrality.
(ii) Measures taken by airlines to reduce carbon footprint include reduction of unwanted weight of aircraft, avoiding moisture/dirt accumulation on aircraft, proper speed and flap management etc.
(iii) In addition to the above, Airports Authority of India in consultation with Indian Air Force has optimized airspace utilization under Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) resulting in reduction of CO2 emission.
Annexure
Trend of CO2 Emissions from Indian Aviation Sector
| CO2 Emissions in 000 tons (Provisional) | |||||
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Indian scheduled passenger airlines to/from domestic destinations | 9,462 | 11,219 | 12,307 | 11,843 | 6,023 |
| Indian scheduled passenger airlines to/from international destinations | 6,923 | 7,853 | 8,441 | 7,057 | 3,194 |
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation (Gen. (Dr) V. K. Singh (Retd) in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
