Emissions from air traffic and the value chain
The largest aviation-related greenhouse gas emissions come from air traffic itself.
Norwegian aviation is working together toward the goal that Norwegian aviation will be fossil-free by 2050. Collaboration is crucial; for example, implementing curved approaches requires cooperation among the airline, air navigation service provider, airport, and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Since the first passenger aircraft with jet engines were introduced in the 1950s, emissions per passenger kilometer have been reduced by 80 percent, but due to substantial traffic growth, greenhouse gas emissions have increased significantly.
Aircraft manufacturers are developing entirely new and more energy-efficient aircraft, while also implementing extensive measures on the existing fleet to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The Norwegian airlines are continuing their work on energy efficiency and are continuously upgrading and renewing their fleets. Over the 20 years before the pandemic, more energy-efficient engines, improved aerodynamics, lower weight, and more seats helped reduce emissions per passenger kilometer by more than half.
Norwegian aviation has been working together on climate measures for many years. Read more in this report:
Emissions from air traffic and the value chain
Airspace Efficiency
Airspace efficiency is high on Avinor’s strategic agenda. Avinor, the airlines, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway continuously work on measures in the airspace that reduce aircraft fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Free Route Airspace (FRA) has been implemented in Norway and our neighboring countries; this means that aircraft in flight normally do not need to route via predetermined points, but can choose the most efficient route from A to B.
Arrivals and departures have been optimized and designed for continuous climb and descent. For many years, Oslo Airport, Gardermoen has ranked at the very top in terms of efficient traffic flow (based on data from Eurocontrol). Digital tools for traffic flow management and information sharing (Collaborative Decision Management - CDM) are important tools/processes that are continuously being developed.
The transition from ground-based navigation to satellite-based navigation (Performance Based Navigation - PBN) provides shorter and more direct routings, as well as more energy-efficient arrivals and departures. Norway has led the way in this work, and in 2022 Avinor decided that all Avinor airports should implement curved approaches (RNP-AR) by 2028. Work on Phase 2, Curved approaches at all short-runway airports, has recently started. This has the potential for significant reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as higher regularity. At OSL, there have been curved approaches for many years.
The air navigation organizations in the Northern European business alliance Borealis have introduced Free Route Airspace (FRA). This is an airspace arrangement that means airlines no longer need to follow predefined routes and can choose the most optimal route. The potential is reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Avinor works on airspace efficiency internationally together with, among others, the industry organizations ACI and CANSO, through the Borealis business alliance, and with Eurocontrol.
Emissions and climate impact in the upper air layers are a central issue in research and development. As part of the international work, Avinor participates in research and development projects to gather information about how air traffic affects the formation of cirrus clouds at high altitude, and how traffic can possibly be routed around the most vulnerable areas to reduce negative climate impacts. At the same time, work is being done to test tools that could potentially direct air traffic away from such regions.
Read more about the effect of emissions in upper air layers in chapter 10 here:
Sustainable aviation fuel SAF
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was certified for aviation in 2009. SAF can be produced either from biomass (for biofuels) or from non-biological inputs such as hydrogen and CO2 (for so-called electrofuels). Even with the future introduction of electrified aircraft and possibly hydrogen as an energy carrier, there are currently no known alternatives to sustainable fuel for long-haul aviation. SAF also has the advantage that it can be used in the existing aircraft fleet and infrastructure.
Current SAF production is small, and all SAF used in Norwegian aviation today is imported. The low level of production is related to the fact that the extra cost of SAF compared with conventional fossil fuel is significant. Since January 2020, there has been a requirement for 0.5 percent biofuel as a share of all aviation fuel sold in Norway (with the exception of the Armed Forces). Norway was the first country in the world to have such a blending requirement. The biofuel must be so-called advanced, meaning fuel made from waste and residues. The EU has adopted a common blending requirement that came into force in 2025. The blending requirement falls under the RefuelEU Aviation regulation and applies to flights in and out of the EU. It starts at a 2% blend in 2025, and increases to a requirement for 70 percent blending in 2050.
Norwegian authorities have announced that the Norwegian blending requirement from 2026 will be increased to 2 percent (EU level), and that RefuelEU Aviation will be implemented in Norway from 2027.
Norway and Norwegian aviation were early to adopt SAF in aviation, and Avinor has taken a leading role in the field. In 2016, Oslo Airport became the first international airport in the world to blend SAF into the regular fuel system and offer it to all airlines refueling there. In close collaboration with key actors in Norwegian aviation, Avinor has also led and financed knowledge development projects on sustainable aviation fuel that have looked at both the potential for Norwegian production and possible policy instruments to increase production and use. A number of reports on sustainable aviation fuel are available on Avinor’s website. See our environmental reports here.
Current SAF production is based on used cooking oil and slaughterhouse waste. However, the extent to which production can increase using these resources is limited, so in the near future there will be a need for SAF produced with other types of inputs, for example side streams from forests, hydrogen and CO2 (for e-fuels), and non-recyclable waste. With available bioresources and a high share of renewable energy in the grid, Norway is well positioned for production. However, this is largely a matter of first-of-a-kind projects and new technology with a significant need for risk mitigation. Considerable investment has been made in project development and demonstration plants, but final investment decisions are still pending.
Avinor collaborates with environmental organizations, industry players, and research institutions with a view to producing sustainable aviation fuel in Norway. Internationally, Avinor is active in the EU project TULIPS, led by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where Avinor, among other things, leads a workstream looking at how airports can contribute to increasing the use and production of SAF.
Zero- and low-emission aviation
Many actors are working on new energy carriers for air travel. With an already established market for short flights with small aircraft, significant experience and strong interest in transport electrification, and nearly 100 percent renewable electricity, Norway is in a unique position to adopt electrified aircraft. Several aircraft manufacturers see Norway as a relevant market for the first electrified passenger aircraft, which are expected to be small and have limited range.
Electrified aircraft are defined as aircraft that have one or more electric motors for propulsion in the air. The electricity that powers the motors can come from various sources: batteries, fuel cells (hydrogen), or hybrid solutions (a range extender that can run on SAF).
Companies such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce are also working on solutions where hydrogen is burned directly in the aircraft's gas turbines.