NextGen, Environmental Stewardship Top List

The most significant challenges impeding the sustainable growth of civil aviation in the United States and around the world can be met through government-industry cooperation, collaborative strategies and pragmatic policies, according to a new report released by AIA Thursday.

“The civil aviation industry is firmly committed to sustainable growth through environmental stewardship – but we cannot do it alone,” said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey. “Governments must commit the necessary resources to implement 21st century air traffic management systems that complement and enhance private sector efforts.”

The report, titled Civil Aviation Growth in the 21st Century: Meeting Capacity and Environmental Challenges, identifies safely expanding the capacity of our national airspace system and addressing growing environmental and energy concerns as the two most significant challenges facing civil aviation today and in the foreseeable future.

“Enabling the commercial viability and availability of sustainable biofuels for aviation use is one of our top priorities,” said Blakey. “The Defense Department has been a real partner with industry in researching and testing sustainable biofuels. Industry is committed to continuing in that effort. We expect to see more feedstocks and more processing methods become viable in the coming years.”

AIA makes several policy recommendations to guide government and industry toward the timely implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The report also describes the mutually supportive roles government and industry can play to achieve the goal of achieving carbon neutral growth for civil aviation from 2020 and beyond.

“Civil aviation is a keystone of the U.S. and global economies,” Blakey said. “The global economic slowdown has masked the limitations of our national airspace system. Even so, full economic recovery requires a strong civil aviation sector. If we’re to meet the rising demand for civil air transportation in an environmentally responsible way, we’re going to need strong public investment in sustainable aviation infrastructure.”

Among the recommendations in the report:

• Design and implement a ‘cash for carbon’ program to fund NextGen aircraft equipage.
• Establish a mechanism for addressing the issue of FAA ground infrastructure consolidation and modernization.
• Ensure industry has significant involvement in addressing NextGen/SESAR harmonization challenges.
• Better leverage international forums like ICAO to create comprehensive global environmental standards.

FMI: www.aia-aerospace.org/issues_policies/reports_white_papers/