A GREEN FIELD OF OPPORTUNITY

 

While hundreds of international delegates gathered in Geneva for the 9th Global Sustainable Aviation Summit on 3 ^rd October, Airbus successfully managed (the week before) to fly its first "laminar flow" wing demonstrator. This test aircraft (A340 MSN 001) is yet another example of the numerous initiatives driven by the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint and relentlessly pursue its innovation efforts. The Geneva summit was therefore a great platform to have under the same roof airlines, manufacturers, airports, suppliers, governments, NGOs, discussing the latest developments of the most significant green initiatives: bio fuel, circular economy, additive manufacturing, supply chain optimization, eco-design, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme. All these developments aiming to reach the long-term goal of reducing the CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050.

 

And guess what...aircraft decommissioning was high on the agenda with a dedicated workshop, offering a great opportunity for 3 AFRA members and 1 delegate from John Swire to present their views on the aircraft disassembly and recycling market. Our industry is conscious about the number of aircraft to be decommissioned in the coming years (and decades) and it becomes more and more useful to remind at all possible levels the constraints and challenges we all face as dismantlers or recyclers. And if our companies are in a position to demonstrate they play their part in the aviation green field by using the best methods, technologies, and recycling channels, all these efforts will find an echo into our industry and generate new opportunities. What was just seen as a trend at the beginning of this century is now considered as a key element of our world's sustainability so let's continue to play on this green field. Game is on!