Emissions from aviation will continue to increase in the future, in contradiction of global climate policy objectives. Yet, airlines and airline organisations suggest that aviation will become climatically sustainable. This paper investigates this paradox by reviewing fuel-efficiency gains since the 1960s in comparison to aviation growth, and by linking these results to technology discourses, based on a two-tiered approach tracing technology-focused discourses over 20 years (1994-2013). Findings indicate that a wide range of solutions to growing emissions from aviation have been presented by industry, hyped in global media, and subsequently vanished to be replaced by new technology discourses. Redundant discourses often linger in the public domain, where they continue to be associated with industry aspirations of 'sustainable aviation' and 'zero-emission flight'. The paper highlights and discusses a number of technology discourses that constitute 'technology myths', and the role these 'myths' may be playing in the enduring but flawed promise of sustainable aviation. We conclude that technology myths require policy-makers to interpret and take into account technical uncertainty, which may result in inaction that continues to delay much needed progress in climate policy for aviation.
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The development of sustainable aviation turns out to be a 30 year transition process. How to manage this transition process is a crucial for the change and success of the aviation sector in future. The foreseen solutions are mostly driven by technological innovation and improvements of procedures and regulations. The question is if these tools are sufficient to manage the innovation of an entire sector with 100 years legacy or are changes in business models, societal values and human behaviour part of the instrument mix aviation can use? New or adapted innovation models and tools are needed to use the full mix of instruments. The article explores the use of a modified Cyclic Innovation Model which is developed by researchers of TU Delft. The development of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and the outlook for its next 100 years is used as a case to understand the complexity of sustainable airport development.
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This book is both a short introduction to the recent developments, challenges and opportunities in Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul(MRO), and at the same time, a presentation of the research focal areas and the key waypoints towards smarter and more sustainable MRO. Innovation and integration have always been key aspects of Aviation. Currently, evolutions in aircraft design, materials and production techniques are ahead of the MRO practices in use.This gap is creating demand for new knowledge to develop and operationalise adaptive, digital and sustainable MRO tools, applicable or integrated in modern aircraft systems and components.
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This paper uses discourse theory to obtain a broader understanding of how research impact of sustainable tourism research develops in the environmental policy domain. Discourse theory shifts emphasis from the substance of science versus policy to the use of science in policy processes and explains the political dimensions of policymaking. We first review a well-documented science-policy gap in sustainable tourism research on climate change to develop an alternative conceptualisation of research impact. Then, using a case study approach, we investigate this framework by evaluating the impact of a PhD thesis about aviation’s global CO 2 emissions on the Dutch aviation policy process. The case study shows research impact is entwined with various other elements, and embedded in a specific governance context. Research influenced contrasting science-policy interactions and contributed to conflicting policy actions and reactions. The impact of research in this case was manifested through the formation and interplay of multiple knowledge objects that were both embraced and marginalised. In settings like this, research is used to legitimise pre-existing policy positions rather than to develop new policies. We discuss the implications of narrow conceptions of research impact. The paper highlights the need for advanced policy analysis in sustainable tourism research.
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While tourism and air transport are recovering from the impacts of the Covid pandemic, it seems timely to draw a synthetic view of future stakes combining the following topics: the greenhouse gas emissions scenarios for tourism, regarding which recent work has improved their understanding; the climatic impact of aviation, almost 60% of which is due to non-CO 2 emissions; alternative fuels (biofuels, E-fuels, hydrogen) and engine designs (fuel cells...) which are complex and controversial issues, and whose potentials should be assessed regarding their timing, environmental impacts, and their ability to meet long distance travel requirements. This paper analyses the extent to which the new options regarding fuels and engines can help decarbonize tourism and air transport. The answer is that they can partly contribute but do not render obsolete previous work on substitutions between types of tourism (short versus long distance...), between transport modes (ground transport versus air), length of stay, etc. Following this step, the paper deals with the position of aviation players and the type of arguments they use. We conclude on the necessity to make strategic choices among the options to avoid wasting investments.
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Toerisme’s toenemende luchtvaartafhankelijkheid is een enorme barriere voor echte verduurzaming, terwijl aan dit laatste niet meer te ontkomen is. Dit essay presenteert daarom een radicaal alternatief voor planeetvriendelijk toerisme
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Design educators and industry partners are critical knowledge managers and co-drivers of change, and design graduate and post-graduate students can act as catalysts for new ideas, energy, and perspectives. In this article, we will explore how design advances industry development through the lens of a longitudinal inquiry into activities carried out as part of a Dutch design faculty-industry collaboration. We analyze seventy-five (75) Master of Science (MSc) thesis outcomes and seven (7) Doctorate (PhD) thesis outcomes (five in progress) to identify ways that design activities have influenced advances in the Dutch aviation industry over time. Based on these findings, we then introduce an Industry Design Framework, which organizes the industry/design relationship as a three-layered system. This novel approach to engaging industry in design research and design education has immediate practical value and theoretical significance, both in the present and for future research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2019.07.003 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-de-lille-8039372/
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This study systematically evaluates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting practices of European airline groups, covering both mandatory and voluntary key performance indicators (KPIs) under evolving regulatory frameworks. By analysing annual and sustainability reports from 16 major airline groups, the research identifies significant progress in the reporting of core metrics, with Scope 1 CO2 totals reported by 94 % and emissions intensity by 88 %, reflecting growing regulatory alignment and stakeholder expectations. However, persistent gaps remain: Scope 2 and Scope 3 reporting appears in only 56 % and 50 % of cases, respectively, while non-CO2 emissions are disclosed by just 38 %, despite forthcoming European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) monitoring requirements. Reporting on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) life-cycle emissions is limited (19 %), and CO2 offsetting disclosures are rare (6 %), complicating verification of decarbonisation claims and readiness for ReFuelEU Aviation and Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The proliferation of voluntary KPI disclosures further complicates comparability due to a lack of standardization and clear definitions. These challenges are compounded by risks of greenwashing, where airlines selectively report favourable data such as emissions intensity, and greenhushing, where substantive achievements are under-communicated. The study concludes that while regulatory frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU ETS, CORSIA, and ReFuelEU are driving improvements, further harmonization and methodological clarity are required to ensure transparency, comparability, and genuine progress toward aviation's climate goals.
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