Best Aircraft design and Airport operations for climate change
According to Towards Data Science, the average aircraft taxi time is 15 minutes. In 2015, an Associated Press analysis found that airplanes spent an average of 23 minutes and 32 seconds taxiing between gates and runways. As the taxiing phase of a flight can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes this taxiing phase could consume as much as 6% of the aircraft’s fuel payload because aircraft engines are not optimized for ground movements.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), taxiing emissions can account for around 2–5% of the total emissions during a typical short-haul flight.
The potential emission savings from using electric taxiing systems can be significant, as they eliminate the need for aircraft to use their main engines for ground movements. The exact amount of emission savings would depend on various factors, including the type and size of the aircraft, the frequency and distance of taxiing, and the source of electricity used for the electric taxiing system.
According to estimates, electric taxiing systems have the potential to reduce ground-level emissions during taxiing by up to 50–75%. These systems typically involve :
- electric motors embedded in the aircraft’s landing gear or other parts, allow the aircraft to move on the ground without relying on its main engines
- using an electric version of the machines that airports use for aircraft pushback.
By using electric power instead of traditional jet fuel during taxiing, airlines can achieve both environmental and economic benefits. The emission reduction is particularly noteworthy during ground movements at airports, where aircraft often spend a significant amount of time taxiing.
It’s important to note that the actual emission savings will depend on the widespread adoption of electric taxiing systems across the aviation industry and the sources of electricity used to power these systems. The overall environmental impact would be further reduced if the electricity came from renewable sources.
There is then an opportunity for airports to rethink ground operations to minimize the amount of emissions and even zero them. This will require the adoption of aircraft pushback systems that use electric power like this Mototok T1001 but also we could redesign the ground architecture of airports such that aircraft will not need to use their power jet engines for positioning themselves for parking after landing or before take-off. This solution will have a nonnegligible positive impact on the reduction of climate-hurting emissions.
Before all cars go electric, it could also be more climate-friendly for car parking stations to adopt electric parking solutions like this one
Thank you for reading
