Towards Meeting the Iata-Agreed 1.5% Average Annual Fuel Efficiency Improvements Between 2010 and 2020: The Current Progress Being Made by U.S. Air Carriers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to see if airlines in general, and U.S. air-carriers in particular, are meeting their IATA-agreed 1.5% average annual fuel efficiency improvements between 2010 and 2020. To assess the fuel efficiency performance, a quantitative analysis was performed using data provided by ICAO, IATA and the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Form 41 Schedules P 12(a) and T-2. The metric used to assess fuel efficiency is the one advanced by ICAO, namely Litres per Revenue Tonne Kilometre performed. Trends are examined over an extended timeframe to establish annual fuel efficiency improvements. The findings show that the overall performance of U.S. air-carriers from 2010 to 2018 has just met IATA’s 1.5% target with a 1.52% year-upon-year annual fuel efficiency improvement, with domestic operations showing a greater level of improvement than international operations. Such performance suggests that the U.S.A, and by inference, the rest of the world, are just likely to meet their IATA target by 2020. This achievement has largely been made possible through industry’s tremendous efforts to enhance aircraft engine technologies, implement operational improvements, and reduce airframe weight through the extensive application of composite materials.

Climate Change Mitigation Pathways for the Aviation Sector

“…Between the years 1960 and 2008, the aviation sector experienced an annual average fuel efficiency of 1.5% due to the incorporation of new fleets in the industry [132]. A recent study further suggests that US air-carriers met IATA's 1.5% annual fuel efficiency improvements target between 2010 and 2018 [140]. However, the improvement in the overall fuel efficiency of the entire global fleet has remained constant since 2000.…”