Virgin calls on airlines to cut emissions now

Sir Richard Branson has appealed to the rest of the world's aviation industry to follow his lead in reducing the carbon emissions that the industry generates.

He released details of a bold plan to cut worldwide carbon emissions due to aviation by up to 25% in late September, but so far there has been no official response by any of the other global airline giants.

Virgin Atlantic has revealed that Branson in fact wrote to a number of airlines personally, including British Airways, American Airlines and Easyjet, as well as aircraft manufacturers such as Rolls Royce and Boeing.

The well-known airline personality urged the industry, by way of his letters, to support a new cross-industry forum designed to focus on practical ways of tackling climate change, saying: "We need to accelerate the pace at which we reduce aviation's impact on the environment.

"We cannot ignore that aviation does create environmental problems (around 2% of global CO2 emissions), although equally it produces significant economic and social benefits."

And Branson is not waiting for the rest of the industry to respond, he has already released details of widespread plans that he plans to implement.

Chief executive at Virgin Atlantic, Steve Ridgway has been quick to point out that the company still supports the concept of an emissions trading scheme - a concept which has sparked controversy among Australia's state and federal governments.

But more importantly, the airline is on a mission to reduce its environmental footprint. "Climate change will only be tackled markedly by a reduction in carbon emissions themselves," Ridgway said.

To achieve its emission reduction goals, the company has announced plans to invest $3 billion in renewable energy initiatives over a period of 10 years.

Branson has suggested that simply moving aircraft around the world's busiest airports more efficiently would cut Virgin's ground carbon emissions by 50-90%.

This vision would involve the implementation of 'starting grids' for all aircraft departures - a holding area close to the runway consisting of several parking bays for aircraft.

This would see aircraft being towed closer to runways before take-off, substantially reducing the time that engines need to be running. Branson has also suggested that these grids would relieve congestion around stands.

Aircraft weight also makes a difference in emissions. Less fuel would need to be carried on board if less were needed for taxiing on the ground. The airline is also looking at other ways of reducing the weight of its fleet, such as using lighter paint on the exterior, using lighter onboard fittings, changing oxygen bottles from metal to carbon fibre and removing empty beer and champagne bottles that have been drunk prior to leaving the stand.

Finally, Virgin Atlantic pilots are already being trained in the 'continuous descent approach' that sees aircraft descend at a more efficient speed, reducing fuel burn. The airline has recommended that all air traffic control authorities should adopt this approach.

In Australia, Virgin Blue has already released details of how it plans to embrace Branson's global call to reduce CO2 emissions.

The six-year-old airline is targeting a further reduction in emissions of 5% by 2008 and has committed to working proactively to support the development and trialling of new green fuels.

"Naturally there's a commercial benefit to operating a fuel-efficient fleet, but the larger responsibility is related to climate change. It is time critical and no airline, airport, government, regulator, environmental group or energy provider can solve it alone," Virgin Blue chief executive, Brett Godfrey said.

The airline achieved a 15% reduction in carbon emission output per aircraft when it replaced its launch fleet with new Boeing 737s in 2001.

Next on the agenda for Virgin Blue is to examine aircraft fuel utilisation and greenhouse gas reductions through fuel burn efficiency as part of a fuel management group set up under the airline's New World Carrier strategy.

With tongue in cheek, Godfrey admits that the airline is "unashamedly getting on the bandwagon" when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. "We are simply saying we're committed, and hope the industry climbs on as well," he said.