Print
Challenges for the aviation industry: ACARE 2020
Current projections assume that air traffic will keep growing at a rate of four to five percent a year, practically doubling within 15 years. The industry’s challenges are growing accordingly, because tomorrow's aircraft must be fuel-thriftier, quieter and cleaner. Under the ACARE 2020 project, specific goals have been defined for the aviation industry.
ACARE 2020
In 2002, ACARE, the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe, issued its Strategic Research Agenda (ACARE 2020): By 2020, aircraft are to burn 50 percent less fuel, emit 50 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) and 80 percent less oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Moreover, the perceived noise level is to be halved.
The engines of the next generation will have to contribute substantially towards meeting the ACARE 2020 targets:
- CO2: - 20 percent
- NOx: - 60 to 80 percent
- noise: - 10 ENPdB
IATA targets
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has defined long-term goals for aviation to address climate change. It aims to achieve CO2-neutral growth of air traffic from 2020 and to halve net CO2 emissions of aircraft by the year 2050. These are extremely ambitious targets considering that air traffic is expected to grow by a factor of nine by 2050 over 2005 provided growth rates remain at today's levels.