Emirates airline announces $200m aviation sustainability fund

The largest international airline in the world, Emirates, the flag carrier of Dubai, revealed on Thursday that it has committed $200 million to research and development (R&D) programs aimed at lessening the impact of fossil fuels on commercial aviation.

With money to be distributed over three years, this is the largest single commitment to sustainability made by any airline. Emirates will seek for collaborations with top companies developing cutting-edge fuel and energy technology.

“We are ring-fencing $200 million to invest in advanced fuel and energy solutions for aviation, which is where airlines currently face the biggest challenge in reducing our environmental impact,” said Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline.

“We looked long and hard at the reality we face in commercial aircraft and engine technology, fuel supply chain, and our industry’s regulatory and eco-system requirements. It’s clear that with the current pathways available to airlines in terms of emissions reduction, our industry won’t be able to hit net zero targets in the prescribed timeline.

“We believe our industry needs better solutions, and that’s why we’re looking to partner with leading organisations on R&D. Our aim is to contribute meaningfully to practical solutions for the long-term sustainability of commercial aviation.”

Sir Tim added: “Until viable solutions can be found, Emirates will continue to implement environmentally responsible practices throughout our business, including uplifting SAF where feasible, ensuring efficient fleet operations, and inducting modern aircraft into our fleet. Our US$ 200 million fund is earmarked for R&D, and not for operating costs like the purchase of SAF or carbon offsets to tick regulatory boxes – activities we consider business-as-usual.”

Emirates’ Environmental Sustainability Executive Steering Group will oversee disbursements from the fund, with support from technical experts.

Emirates’ long-standing environmental strategy and policy concentrates its efforts in three areas: emissions reduction, responsible consumption, and animal and habitat preservation.

In collaboration with Boeing and GE, Emirates successfully accomplished the first demonstration flight powered entirely by SAF in January. The airline has continued to actively participate in the SAF market since its maiden flight powered by SAF in 2017 and looks for possibilities in its network to employ SAF when practical.

However, bio-based SAF, currently the only type of commercially available SAF, is extremely limited in supply. IATA estimates that the entire world’s annual supply of SAF meets less than 0.1% of airlines’ needs.

In a variety of industry working groups and stakeholder interactions on sustainable aviation fuel, Emirates takes part. The airline recently contributed to the creation of the UAE’s National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap, launched in January 2023 by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, and the UAE’s Power-to-Liquid (PtL) Fuels Roadmap, launched in July 2022 and prepared jointly by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the World Economic Forum.

The biggest investment Emirates has made in lowering its emissions is in a young, contemporary fleet of aircraft. 200 of the most recent wide-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including A350s and 777Xs, are now under order by the airline.

The airline has a comprehensive fuel efficiency programme that actively investigates and implements ways to reduce unnecessary fuel burn and emissions, wherever it is operationally feasible. Some of the program’s most significant initiatives include:

• The operation of “flex tracks” or flexible routings where it partners with air navigation service providers to create the most efficient flight plan for each flight, taking advantage of natural tailwinds, while avoiding headwinds and weather systems. These efforts have been ongoing since 2003, and Emirates has also been working with IATA to extend this routing system across the world as a standard operating procedure where possible.
• Introducing fuel efficient practices while the aircraft is on the ground, such as: the use of ground power units instead of the aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and switching one or two engines off while taxiing in after landing.