Impact of political and market-based measures on aviation emissions and passenger behaviors (a Swiss case study)

Peter Wild,Florian Mathys,Jing Wang

doi:10.1016/j.trip.2021.100405

Abstract

The global aviation industry has been increasingly urged to reduce their CO2 emissions. To achieve this, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have successfully adopted various operational, technological, and air traffic management/infrastructural measures. However, they have also implemented market-based regulatory measures, including the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Additionally, regional measures, such as the Europeanemission trading system (ETS), nationwide political measures, such as flight taxes, and compensation programs by airlines also exist. Therefore, this study surveyed the impact of such measures, primarily on business travelers and their behavior, with a focus on Switzerland. Additionally, not only the impact of the first-last mile (airport access) was discussed, but also intermodal aspects like high-speed rails were debated. Results indicated that flight tax programs were found to have a weak impact on demand. The impact of COVID-19 was addressed and decreased travel frequency from COVID-19 may impact global flight emissions in the long term. Furthermore, passengers supported investments of flight-tax revenues in sustainable aviation technology; they did not support flight contingents. Conclusions are that taxes might generate additional airport traffic. An analysis about booking behaviors revealed fundamental differences in environmental terms. Finally, voluntary compensation was highly favored.

Highlights

The aviation industry has faced increasing demand to reduce its emissions
Aviation accounts for approximately 3.5% of the global CO2-equivalent emissions (DGLR and Rotger, 2021)
The number of flights after COVID-19 is an estimate provided by the survey participants

Summary

Introduction

The aviation industry has faced increasing demand to reduce its emissions. Aviation accounts for approximately 3.5% of the global CO2-equivalent emissions (DGLR and Rotger, 2021). The housing sector, comprising heating and lighting systems, is currently the largest producer of CO2 emissions. The European Environmental Agency has estimated that global aviation and logistics will contribute to approximately 40% of the global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, unless further mitigation measures are adopted (EEA, 2017). Flights covering over 3,000 km account for only 9% of the departing flights but generate 53% of CO2 emissions. Decar bonizing medium-to-long-distance flights is essential to achieve signif icant CO2 emission reductions in the aviation sector (EUROCONTROL, 2020)

Methods

Results

Conclusion