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SINGAPORE: When I first read that Singapore Airlines (SIA) was considering launching “flights to nowhere”, I thought it was a bad joke. Surely, if you get on a plane, you want to get somewhere, right?
To be fair, SIA is not the first airline to come up with this idea. Taiwan’s EVA Airlines offered something similar on a Hello Kitty-themed plane in early August, to meet pent-up demand from travelers on the ground.
The SIA Group, which comprises SIA, SilkAir and Scoot, is facing an unprecedented crisis and clearly could need some help to stay afloat. It is currently operating at 8 percent of capacity compared to pre-COVID times, and has cut about 4,300 positions across the three airlines.
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There are also some basic facts that we cannot ignore. Airplanes can’t stay grounded in hot, humid Singapore for too long; Their engines must run at least once every few months, and some must be stored in deserts abroad.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) guidelines, pilots are required to perform three takeoffs and landings every 90 days for the specific type of aircraft they are licensed to fly for. However, pilots can also meet this requirement using a flight simulator.
Given these, some may argue that flights to nowhere kills two birds with one stone by keeping planes and pilots in tip-top shape, while also generating profit from travel-hungry passengers.
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But there is no denying that this episode has focused on how flights in general generate unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gases (GHG), and these flights to nowhere are just a cast for structural threats. facing the SIA and the global aviation industry. .
UNNECESSARY EMISSIONS IN A WARMING WORLD
Let’s look at the environmental impact of a flight.
SIA flights to nowhere are expected to last two to three hours. Since the amount of carbon emissions will differ based on the type of aircraft used, how wide, new, and packed, our best guess is to take a composite figure based on an illustrative route.
For example, flying from Singapore to Bangkok takes about 2.5 hours. And the CO2 calculator of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates a figure of 105 kg of CO2 per passenger.
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File photo of Thai Airways planes parked on the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: REUTERS / Jorge Silva)
But looking at the carbon footprint of a flight doesn’t take into account the other warming effects that air traffic has on the planet. Airplanes also produce water vapor, aerosols, and nitrogen oxides, as well as cirrus clouds that trap heat.
Non-CO2 emissions from aircraft are not well understood, but a 1999 report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that aviation’s total contribution to global warming is two to four times that of its carbon emissions alone.
In any case, the amount of CO2 emissions produced by a flight to nowhere is equivalent to about 70 bottles of wine. At least the latter sounds more pleasant than a narrow economy-class seat, and it will go a long way, much more than two or three hours.
On the other hand, I’m 1.85m tall and I get drunk after two glasses, so your mileage may vary.
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However, what is not subjective is that reducing unnecessary flights can and should be part of our approach to limit CO2 emissions between now and 2050, if we are to restrict the temperature increase of our planet between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius from before. industrial levels.
This is the temperature level that the nations of the world came together to set in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. And the 2019 Emissions Gap Report from the United Nations Environment Program indicates that we need to reduce global GHG emissions from 55 gigatons (Gt) of CO2 equivalent in 2018 to between 25 and 41 GtCO2e by 2030.
Although COVID-19 has certainly taken a toll on global GHG emissions, a May study published in the scientific journal Nature found that global emissions would only fall by 7.5 percent at most, if current restrictions are held until the end of the month. year.
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LONG-TERM CHALLENGES OF AIR TRAVEL
The pandemic has shown that there are new ways of doing our daily tasks.
Working from home is becoming the norm for many desk jobs. Flying to conferences and meetings has been replaced by the ubiquitous Zoom.
When we exit the long and harrowing tunnel that is COVID-19, we will find that we can spend less time traveling and commuting.
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Artist’s impression of a KL-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) station. (Photo: MyHSR)
Although there will be some level of recovery for the aviation industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline trade association, forecast in June that if restrictions related to COVID-19 remain until the end of the year, It would take another four years for passenger traffic to return to 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail, when completed, will be the first stage of a high-speed overland rail network that will serve most of our ASEAN neighbors.
If the experience in Western Europe and North Asia is instructive, along with the shame-to-flight movement gaining momentum in Europe, then high-speed rail may outperform short-haul flights within ASEAN in the future.
It may be worthwhile for SIA and Changi Airport to rethink their response to this long-term challenge, in addition to fighting the economic impact of COVID-19, including how Terminal 5 at Changi Airport and having two civil airports (the airport from Seletar is the other).
Could the land currently owned by Changi Airport be used to cultivate mangroves, to build a coastal defense against soil erosion and rising sea levels? Could SIA be better served by focusing on intercontinental routes, including providing ticketing for high-speed trains in the future?
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GREEN SOLUTIONS FOR SIA
At the end of the day, there will still be some demand for flights, especially intercontinental and long-haul flights, when the COVID-19 restrictions are eased.
Flying, for many, still represents the freedom of borders and the gateway to new experiences and opportunities. Flights to nowhere is also an experience some may wish for, and perhaps they would use aircraft that would have been flown for maintenance purposes anyway.
But the environmental cost of a flight to nowhere is still outweighed by that of air travel as a whole. There must be long-term green solutions when SIA’s business recovers.
SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and Scoot jets sit on the runway at Singapore’s Changi Airport. (Photo: Reuters / Edgar Su)
First, SIA should offset its CO2 and GHG emissions from all its flights ahead of its committed 2021 schedule to join the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme.
British low-cost carrier EasyJet committed in October 2019 to offset CO2 emissions across its entire flight network. In January, British Airways announced that it will offset all emissions from its domestic flights. Lufthansa also launched CO2-free flights for corporate customers traveling within Europe.
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SIA can purchase carbon offsets in bulk that adhere to reputable standards, such as the Gold Standard and Verra, which ensure that carbon offset projects succeed in avoiding and reducing the emissions they claim.
A quick look at the former’s retail website shows that carbon credits can be purchased from as low as US $ 11 per tonne of CO2 from the Clima + Portfolio composite offset. Given that SIA’s market positioning is in the premium full-service sector, the price of each ticket is unlikely to increase appreciably for customers, even if the costs are passed on to them.
Balance this with the added value of the brand of becoming one of the world’s pioneering net zero airlines, and the benefits will start to outweigh the costs.
Carbon offsets may seem like an unnecessary financial burden in tough times, but SIA has received substantial state assistance to help it overcome the COVID-19 crisis.
The Government announced support of S $ 750 million for the aviation sector in March, and S $ 187 million later in August.
SIA also plans to raise up to S $ 15 billion by issuing new convertible stocks and bonds, with the support of Temasek.
As a recipient of public funds, the HIA must consider its social and environmental responsibilities.
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ALTERNATIVES TO FLIGHTS TO ANYWHERE?
Beyond thinking long-term, SIA should consider greener alternatives to flights to nowhere. A group of young sustainability advocates has launched a #SaveSingaporeAirlines initiative to collect more green ideas for SIA to generate business.
Some suggestions include offering dining experiences inside airplanes on the ground, or behind-the-scenes tours of the airport and flight operations.
Campaigns like these reflect that future SIA customers are climate conscious and that the world, including airlines, is moving towards sustainability. Despite continued financial pressures, SIA remains an esteemed national airline worthy of leading the aviation industry on this march.
Eric Bea is an Environmental Law Researcher at the Asia-Pacific Center for Environmental Law, School of Law, National University of Singapore. This article is written in the author’s personal capacity.
