A330neo secures pioneering EASA carbon dioxide emission certification

Airbus’s A330-900 has been certified for carbon dioxide emissions, the first time the EASA has applied such a process to an aircraft approval. The airframer voluntarily submitted the A330-900 – powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines – to the certification after ICAO finalised a carbon dioxide standard, which was implemented by EASA in mid-2018. Airbus will be the first manufacturer to apply the certification requirement. “Its experience will contribute to improving and further developing the standards set by ICAO, which will benefit the entire industry,” says the regulator. EASA says the process assesses the aircraft’s fuel efficiency in cruise from which the carbon dioxide emissions during operation can be calculated. It points out that this efficiency is affected not only by the engines but by the aircraft’s weight – which changes as fuel is burned – and by its airspeed, altitude and aerodynamic characteristics. The certification requirements involve checking the aircraft’s efficiency and emissions performance against limits set out in ICAO’s Annex 16. EASA says the certification is a “key milestone” on its strategy to establish an “environmental label” for aviation by next year. This label will use carbon dioxide emissions data to assess the aircraft’s environmental performance.<br/>