Apr 22 2008
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today reaffirmed its absolute commitment to protecting the environment in releasing its guiding principles for reducing carbon output, conserving fuel and finding jet fuel alternatives. The principles, titled "Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels: The ATA Commitment," are designed to bring cleaner jet fuel alternatives to market while ensuring safety, increasing reliability and promoting economic feasibility.
"We must stay uniquely focused on further reducing the industry's greenhouse gas emissions and on helping America enhance its energy security," said ATA President and CEO James C. May. "With jet fuel prices reaching unforeseen highs on a daily basis - so high that now one-third of an average ticket goes to pay for fuel alone - and given the environmental challenges associated with traditional fossil fuels, the airline industry is even more committed to implementing alternative fuels on a broad scale."
The ATA alternative fuels commitment serves as a call to action to prospective suppliers and is available online at http://www.airlines.org/economics/energy/altfuelsprinciples.htm.
ATA also is encouraging fuel suppliers to work with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a consortium of manufacturers, airlines, airports, government agencies, universities and fuel suppliers, to promote the research and development of alternative jet fuels. CAAFI, which ATA actively cosponsors, has working groups dedicated to every aspect of bringing alternative jet fuels to market, including those expressly dedicated to environmental, specification, production and distribution issues. Among the CAAFI goals are certification of a 50 percent synthetic fuel by the end of 2008 and certification of bio-jet fuels by 2013.
"U.S. passenger and cargo airlines improved their fuel efficiency by 110 percent from 1978 to 2007, the equivalent of taking roughly 17 million cars off the road each of those years," said May. "ATA member airlines are committed to improving fuel efficiency an additional 30 percent by 2025 and the use of alternative fuels will be an important element of our overall efforts to achieve even greater emissions reductions. We have an inherent obligation to protect our planet today and for generations to follow. We have an equal responsibility to make decisions that will protect the economic welfare of this country, which is enhanced through plentiful and sustainable commercial air service."
ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For additional information about the industry, visit http://www.airlines.org.