Non-CO2 emissions
Reducing and mitigating non-CO2 climate effects of aviation
Developing operational solutions
STUDYING CLIMATE IMPACTS
The decarbonisation of the aviation industry is a key focus for us at Airbus, yet there are other types of non-CO2 emissions that are produced during flight. These include nitrogen oxides (NOx), contrails, noise, sulphur and soot aerosols, amongst others.
Airbus is leading a variety of flagship projects to explore ways of reducing or eliminating the climate impacts of non-CO2 emissions. We are working with key industry partners, research institutions, universities and other stakeholders from different sectors to better understand the climate impact of these emissions and develop operational solutions to mitigate them.
VOLCAN
The VOLCAN flight test study is a partnership between Airbus, Safran and Dassault Aviation, alongside the ONERA aeronautics research laboratory and the French Ministry of Transport.
In 2023, an A321neo was flown on 100% SAF with a chase aircraft following within 100 metres to capture emissions data in real flight conditions for detailed emissions analysis and climate impact simulations.
Blue Condor
This demonstrator is taking a modified glider up to 33,000 feet – an extreme altitude for an aircraft that normally cruises below 10,000 feet – to analyse the impact of hydrogen combustion on contrail properties.
The result of this analysis will provide critical information on aviation’s non-CO2 emissions, including contrails and NOx, in advance of Airbus’ hydrogen-powered ZEROe demonstrator flight testing.
CICONIA
This Airbus-led project within the EU’s SESAR programme is assessing the impact that atmospheric conditions, aircraft characteristics and fuel have on non-CO2 emissions. This includes how contrails could be effectively mitigated through adapted flight operations.
The project includes the evaluation and development of potential operational mitigation concepts to reduce aircraft-induced climate impacts.
ECLIF3
ECLIF3 was an EU SESAR Joint Undertaking funded project. It involved Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the German research centre DLR, and SAF producer Neste, marking the first time that emissions from burning 100% SAF have been measured simultaneously on both engines of a commercial passenger aircraft.
The study compared and evaluated the effects of different fuels (100% SAF, Jet A-1 and SAF blends) on aircraft in-flight emissions, contrail properties and aircraft performance.
Read the results
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