Today commercial jets use a kerosene-type fuel, refined from oil, which must meet stringent quality specifications for safety and operational reasons. For years, the aviation industry has explored alternate sources for jet fuel to avoid continued exclusive reliance on oil. Alternative jet fuels hold the potential for significant economic, operational and environmental benefits.
Unfortunately, due to unique, highly specialized requirements for commercial jet fuel, developing a viable alternative is difficult, time consuming and costly. Since safety is paramount, any proposed jet fuel must undergo extensive testing, analysis and operational substantiation. Regulatory approval must be obtained after this rigorous verification regime is complete. In short, while alternative fuels should be pursued aggressively on all fronts, it is highly unlikely that they will be available in the near term for use in commercial jets.
Well-publicized recent spikes and fluctuations in jet fuel prices have prompted U.S. airlines to increase their efforts to find feasible alternatives. Although all U.S. airlines have implemented extensive, more efficient operational and procedural measures and support a modernized air traffic control system to further improve fuel efficiency, rising prices and an unstable global fuel supply source necessitate efforts to find alternative jet fuels.
Apart from financial and supply concerns, alternative fuels may burn more cleanly, offering the potential for improved environmental performance for aircraft. At this initial stage it is difficult to assess the direct and indirect environmental impacts of the alternative fuels under consideration, but further analyses should demonstrate the environmental trade-offs of each and permit informed decision making. More efficient fuel burn, including the benefits of a modernized air traffic control system, will result in environmental benefits.
ATA POSITION: The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) and its member airlines strongly support the development of alternatives to traditional petroleum-based jet fuel. We are actively partnering with government (e.g., Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, Department of Defense), industry, academia and other interested parties to explore the operational, environmental and financial implications of alternative jet fuels. From a legislative perspective, ATA supports significant, mandatory general funding for research on alternative fuels, including jet fuel, in the FAA reauthorization and Agriculture reauthorization efforts. ATA also supports new federal programs to advance the development of alternative jet fuel production facilities.
ATA and its member airlines support continued exploration of all viable alternatives including fuel derived from coal, known as “coal-to-liquids” (CTL), and renewable energy sources, including biofuels and biomass conversion. Currently synthetic aviation fuels derived from coal are in use in some parts of the world and are undergoing further testing on operational/environmental impacts. Even if alternative fuels do not prove feasible for near-term use in commercial aircraft, ATA supports their development for other uses. Any increase in supply should reduce price pressures on crude oil and refined products, indirectly benefiting the airline industry and, in turn, consumers, as well as offering environmental benefits.
December 2007
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