As the global economy slowly but surely shifts to a lower-carbon model, some of the most intractable industries – steel and cement, for example – have moved faster than anyone could have imagined, while new solutions such as hydrogen are scaling up rapidly. One sector, though, is lagging behind: aviation. The sector accounts for about 2.8% of global CO2 emissions, with a further impact from non-CO2 greenhouse gases because most of its emissions are made at altitude. What is more worrying, though, is that emissions from flying have risen by 2% a year since the turn of the century and they could reach a fifth of total emissions by 2050. There are a number of reasons for this. Partly it is the laws of physics: it is hard to find a fuel or power source that is sufficiently energy-dense, yet also light enough, to replace kerosene, especially on long-haul flights. Another reason is the laws of man – or lack of them. “The aviation sector has been under-regulated and undertaxed for decades, which is why low-carbon technology has been slow to come to market,” says Jo Dardenne, aviation manager at Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). The 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, better known as the Chicago Convention and introduced to help the industry grow in a post-war world, makes it difficult for governments to tax aviation fuel. “The industry says international aviation emissions should always be regulated at international level, but airlines didn’t go to ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization) for bailouts during the pandemic, but to national governments,” she adds. “There is now more of a view that if they have been helped by the government, they should have to contribute to the government budget and the fight against climate change.” Sentiment towards the industry, and within it, is starting to change – slowly, though. There is a growing feeling that it is unfair that aviation is not taxed when other activities are, not least because 1% of people cause 50% of global aviation emissions, according to Transport & Environment. “It was a crucial driver for the gilet jaune protests in France,” Dardenne points out. “People were asking why they were paying tax to drive and heat their homes, when airlines were not paying tax.” Story has more.<br/>
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President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Phil Washington, the head of Denver International Airport, to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. Washington’s nomination to run the agency, which has roughly 45,000 employees, comes after Steve Dickson left the post about halfway through his term, at the end of March, citing personal reasons. Billy Nolen, the FAA’s safety chief, was named as acting administrator. Washington has headed the Denver airport, one of the country’s busiest, for about a year and previously was CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for six years. If confirmed, Washington will head an agency that has been working to improve its reputation after two fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 Max planes, which led to legislation that tightened federal oversight of new jetliners. The FAA is also tasked with reviewing new Boeing jets like the 777X and the largest model of the Max, the 737 Max 10. It hasn’t yet cleared Boeing to resume deliveries of its Dreamliner planes, which have been paused for more than a year due to manufacturing flaws. The agency has also been working with airlines to bring down the rate of flight delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages and other challenges. Tensions between the FAA and airline executives have escalated lately as they have blamed each other over an uptick in flight disruptions that has upended the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Airline executives have called out the staffing of air traffic controllers, which the FAA oversees, as causes for delays. “The reality is that there are more flights scheduled industrywide than ATC staffing system can handle,” United Airlines Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Roitman wrote in a staff note Wednesday, calling out congested parts of New York and Florida. “Until that is resolved, we expect the US aviation system will be challenged this summer and beyond.” The FAA, in response, said that its staffing is not the cause of most of the delays and cancellations, and instead attributed the issues to air traffic control capacity, airline staffing, weather and strong traffic.<br/>
Frankfurt Airport, Germany's busiest air transport hub, is unlikely to see relief for a crippling staff shortage in the coming months, its operator Fraport said. "The problem will not get smaller going forward, even though we are hiring. I say that very openly," said Fraport Chief Executive Stefan Schulte told a media briefing in Frankfurt on Tuesday evening. He said disruptions due to a lack of workers would continue for the next two or three months. Fraport has already rehired nearly 1,000 new ground services employees after cutting about 4,000 during the pandemic. Schulte said that the situation would not be resolved even if a few hundred new employees or temporary workers from abroad were to be deployed. The number of people employed at German airports recently fell to its lowest level in seven years, the federal statistics office said on Wednesday, citing preliminary data. Schulte apologised to passengers for long wait times, but said Fraport and other operators has been caught off guard by the swift surge in demand for travel and said it was difficult to ramp up airport operations in such a short time.<br/>