Combining economic and environmental performance in the air transport sector

🛢️ Sustainable fuels (SAF)

Sustainable aviation fuels, orSAFs, are one of the most promising avenues for reducing aviation's carbon footprint. Produced from biofuels derived from biomass, waste or by synthesis fromgreen hydrogen and captured CO₂e, they offer an alternative to fossil kerosene.

In 2023, SAF accounted for just 0.3% of the world's aviation fuel production. Their availability therefore remains very limited, given the high energy consumption of aircraft.

Two generations, two carbon weights:

• 1st-generation SAFs, derived from agricultural crops, can paradoxically emit as much or even more CO₂e than kerosene (up to 1.5 times more) when the production cycle is taken into account.
• By contrast, 2nd generation SAF, produced from residues or waste, can reduce emissions by 20% to 80%, depending on the processes used.

Price remains a major obstacle:

• Approximately $1 to $1.5/liter for SAF produced with HEFA technology,
• This compares with around $0.5/litre for conventional kerosene (at over $80 a barrel).

👉Boursorama

The ReFuelEU Aviation plan, adopted by the European Union, calls for an increase in power:

• 2% of kerosene must be sustainable by 2025,
• rising to 70% by 2050.

💶 Carbon tax

The European aviation sector is part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which requires organizations to purchase emission rights to offset their CO₂e emissions.

Problem?

The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) currently applies to CO₂e emissions from flights operated within the European Economic Area (EEA), i.e. intra-European flights. International flights to and from the EU are not covered by the scheme, which limits its effectiveness in reducing overall emissions from the aviation sector.

👉TheEuropean Commission

In 2023, Air France paid just 46 million euros under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). However, if all its flights departing from Europe had been subject to carbon pricing, the bill would have risen to almost 700 million euros.

This discrepancy highlights the shortcomings of the European carbon market. Whether it's traditional airlines like Air France or low-cost carriers, the polluter-pays principle is still poorly applied.

👉T&E France office

The revision of the EU ETS (European Union Emissions Trading Scheme) in the aviation sector aims to ensure that the aviation sector contributes to EU climate objectives by phasing out free allowances and applying the reinforced linear reduction factor to aviation.

🌍 International regulation

Launched by theInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), CORSIA(Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) is the first global mechanism designed to offset CO₂e emissions from international flights.

• Objective: stabilize emissions at 2020 levels.
• How it works: companies must offset excess emissions through the purchase of certified carbon credits (reforestation, renewable energy projects, etc.).

The CORSIA plan has three phases, ending in 2035

Ministry of Ecological Transition

• Limits :
  • Domestic flights not covered ;
  • Participation remains voluntary until 2027 ;
  • Doubts about the effectiveness and quality of certain carbon credits.

✈️ Reducing air travel

Beyond technical and economic measures, reducing demand for air travel remains a powerful but politically sensitive strategy. It relies on several levers:

• Substitution by train on short journeys
• Reduce business travel thanks to digital tools (videoconferencing, remote meetings).
• Raising passenger awareness of the climate impact of air transport

This sobriety in use, sometimes called "air sobriety", complements technological efforts. It is essential if we are to contain the growth in emissions in a sector where, for the time being, every technological gain remains limited by the rise in demand.

At a time when air pollution from shipping contributes not only to greenhouse gas emissions, but also to the emission of fine particles, every player in the industry needs to rethink their business model.

• On average, fuel represents 50 à 60 % of a ship's operating costs
• Lower consumption therefore directly reduces financial expenses.

In France, as elsewhere, regulatory and societal pressure is intensifying to accelerate the energy transition. Using energy more efficiently is becoming both an economic imperative and a strategic opportunity.

What's more, anticipating future carbon taxes (such as the proposed EU maritime tax scheduled for 2026) and quotas imposed by the European carbon market (ETS) for maritime transport, helps avoid heavy economic penalties.

The international airline industry is facing a major challenge: reducing its impact on the climate while meeting growing traffic demand. Biofuels offer a promising alternative. However, they are not sufficient to offset the increase in energy consumption associated with the growing number of flights. Moreover, their production raises questions about the sustainability of the resources used and competition with other global energy needs.

To accelerate the transition, it is essential to be able to rely on reliable, accessible and action-oriented tools.

This is precisely GCI's ambition, through its SaaS platform dedicated to measuring, tracking and reducing CO₂e emissions. Thanks to its expertise and high-precision data, GCI enables various structures to:

• Rigorously measure their carbon impact,
• Identify concrete reduction levers,
• Proactively manage their climate strategy,
• Offsetting residual emissions

🌱 In a world where environmental responsibility is becoming a standard, GCI is positioning itself as a key partner to engage in more responsible aviation, aligned with planetary limits and societal expectations.