As concerns related to global warming, environmental degradation, climate change and depletion of resources are increasing, industries are responding to these concerns by conducting businesses with a new approach that is focused not only on economic development but also on society’s well being. Emissions of gas released by aircrafts due to the usage of fossil fuels have created a significant impact on the environment as well as human health. As a result, the industry has focused on sustainability research for reducing the impact on the environment.
Sustainability has become a major subject of concern within the aviation industry. Leaders of this industry are focusing on reducing the environmental impact through technological improvement. So far, newly designed aircrafts are able to emit much less carbon dioxidethan previous models. The industry sets a long term goal to achieve zero emissions of carbon by 2050. Focus has been made on further development of technology and new models of aircraft to achieve this goal. Latest technological trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0 and 5G connections have already been introduced by a number of airlines for sustainability.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel becomes a major issue in sustainability as more consumption of fuel leads to more carbon emissions. Fortunately, aviation engineers are improving the quality of aircraft engines targeted towards sustainable development. Every new aircraft generation has improved fuel efficiency than the previous generations resulting in emitting 80% less amount of carbon dioxide per seat compared to aircrafts from the older generation. New aircraft models such as Boeing 737MAX and Airbus A350 on average consume less amount of fuel and thus produce comparatively less amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The newer models and next generation aircrafts will be more fuel efficient than present models thus resulting in further decrease of carbon emissions.
Design and Technology
The aviation industry focuses on advanced development in aircraft design to improve performance as well as environmental requirements. New aerodynamic techniques for improving lift and reducing drag could result in reduction of fuel consumption. Experts are working to achieve aerodynamic drag reduction by 5% to 7% and reduction of 2% in fuel consumption by improving aircraft design. Airbus and Boeing are focusing on developing new aircraft designs for sustainable development.
Electric Aircrafts
With the application of modern technology, aviation industry if focusing on creating electric aircrafts to achieve zero fuel consumption. It is considered as an important step towards the goal of zero carbon emission by 2050. NASA has already created its own electric plane and has successfully conducted ground testing in an American flight research center. The plane will take its inaugural flight in 2022. Although this is not a passenger plane, it is considered a giant step towards making electric commercial aircrafts a reality. Few cities are preparing for the introduction of electric air taxies for transportation. By 2025, electric air taxies will be fully functional and will gradually cover the rest of the world. Several global enterprises are focusing on developing fully functional electric commercial aircrafts by 2035.
Big Data
Big data analytics has become a crucial factor in developing a number of industries and aviation is no exception. Although the industry has been using big data for quite a long time, it has recently become a popular subject of interest. Big data market size in aviation industry was at 252 million USD in 2016. It has estimated that the market would grow to 7178 million USD in 2023. Big data analytics would help in aircraft maintenance, efficient fuel consumption and reduction of carbon footprints. Data generated by aircrafts can be used by manufacturers for predictive maintenance i.e. performing maintenance work before damage. Aircraft engine manufacturers use real time data produced by engines for monitoring engine health.
With the focus towards sustainability in the aviation industry, there is a high demand of an efficient service organization that has in-depth knowledge about modern technologies and resources. Alpha Numero Technology Solutions, abbreviated as ANTS, is one of the leading organizations that provides services related to IOT, smart technology and data analytics related to the aviation industry. ANTS provides system engineering, hardware design, system architecture, model designing and mechanical engineering services that would help in maintaining sustainability in the aviation industry.
