The aerospace industry gets the blame for damaging the environment, but not enough is done to set the record straight with the public.
That’s the view of Thales Aerospace senior vice president Francois Quentin: “Let's get the facts right,” he says. “It's a perception issue – our industry doesn't make enough noise about this. The industry has also committed to reducing emissions by 70% over the next 20 years, but the public just hasn't got the message.”
Quentin says aviation accounts for only 2% of total man-made CO2 emissions, but contributes 8% to global GDP and supports 29 million jobs.
He says that the aerospace industry was too concerned with security after 9/11 to see the ‘green issue’ problem heading towards it.
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“The future lies in getting aircraft into the air quicker, routing them properly and getting them to land without having to be stacked – that is really where we can make a big difference.”
He points to the work Thales is doing on the Single European Sky ATM Research Programme (SESAR) and NEXTGEN, the US initiative, to show how better air traffic management could help reduce congestion.
Source: Flight International
