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Impact Of Aircraft Emissions On The Environment

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Nowadays, the growing public awareness of the impact of aircraft emissions on the environment forces the aviation stakeholders to search for environmentally friendly solutions. The relation between aircraft emissions and climate change relies heavily on fossil fuels. Indeed, when an aircraft burns fuel, several pollutants that alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere are produced and released into the sky. One of the principal pollutants emitted from aviation is the carbon dioxide (CO2); a greenhouse gas well known for its contribution to global warming. For each kilogram of fuel consumed, a typical engine of a commercial aircraft produces on average 3.15 kilograms of CO2 [X]. In comparison to other modes of transport, the aviation industry is responsible for 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions [X]. Although this percentage may seem relatively small, it has in reality a disproportionate large impact on the environment. Indeed, around 80% of aviation emissions are emitted from flights of over 5,000 feet, and as pointed out by Lee et al. in [X], the impact per kilogram of CO2 emissions at high-altitudes on climate change is about twice that of emissions at ground-level. Faced with this awareness, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) has recognized the need to address the global challenge of climate change and has set the ambitious goal of reducing the aviation carbon footprint by 50% by 2050, relative to 2005 levels [X]. To reach this objective,

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