Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR reached a major milestone when it successfully completed its first biofuel-powered flight. Airliner World’s Craig West reports from Stockholm.
Air transport currently accounts for around 2% of the 36 billion tonnes of CO2 generated annually by human activities. But the number of passengers travelling by air is increasing exponentially – this is expected to exceed six billion by 2030.
As a result, airlines and manufacturers are increasingly focused on how to mitigate the environmental impact of the commercial aviation sector through the use of new technology, modern aircraft and more efficient practices. Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR has been a key player in this movement for most of the last decade, long extolling the ‘green’ credentials of its marketleading turboprop family. The company is actively involved in the development and testing of new technologies designed to make the industry more environmentally friendly and has been part of the EU’s Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative since its inception in 2008.
The €4bn project is ambitious, working towards stringent global targets set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) of a 50% reduct…
