Economic implications for emissions' reductions with European low-cost carriers using various fuelling strategies and operations

Commercial aircraft produce significant amounts of CO2 emissions every time they fly and heavier take-off weights yield greater emissions produced. Engine manufacturers have tried to reduce CO2 emissions to meet targets but also to reduce operational costs. Modern aircraft engines are now more reliable and efficient; however, measuring efficiency is not an easy task. Classically, efficiency is measured during in level flight at cruising altitude while journey times are considerably longer than the take-off and landing. In this paper, the economic implications for low cost carriers (LCC), that fly short routes is investigated. A qualitative comparison is made between flying with the minimum fuel with flights that refuel fully when at airports with lower fuel costs. The results show that changes will likely increase the turn-around times and add operating cost while decreasing emissions. A balanced approach is suggested that will assist in reducing emissions while not adding unreasonable costs.