While many people are looking to airline manufacturers to make air travel more environmentally friendly, the manufacturers seem to be pointing the finger elsewhere. Boeing has recently come under the spotlight over the question of emissions and fuel efficiency. To find out exactly what Boeing is doing to reduce emissions, I interviewed Boeing design engineer, Javier Florez.

Air travel is the fastest growing source of the greenhouse gases that lead to climate change. Air traffic has surged in recent years and is expected to increase by an annual five percent in the next 20 years. Airline carriers will have to work hard to improve fuel-efficiency to compensate for the five per cent annual growth in the aviation industry. Many aerodynamic innovations have been implemented in aircraft construction for some time, such as adjustable wing flaps to accommodate different flight regimes (fast and high, as well as slow and low).
According to Florez, the new upturned winglets of the Boeing 757s are an example of Boeing’s innovative response to fuel consumption concerns, increasing fuel efficiency by five percent. “Winglets reduce turbulence at the tips of an airplane’s wings. The air pressure on the bottom of the wing is greater than the pressure on top, so when air flowing across the two surfaces meets at the wing tip, it forms a vortex (miniature tornado). By breaking up vortices, winglets reduce drag, which translates into fuel savings.” In response to 787 Dreamliner pledge that by 2020, all of its new aircraft will produce 50 percent less carbon dioxide and 80 percent less nitrogen oxides than in 2000, Florez is somewhat sceptical, maintaining that strategic targets are not really feasible at the moment. The advent of bio-fuels may make these targets more achievable.More dramatically, the last year reclaimed the title of world’s biggest-selling plane builder for Boeing from Airbus. The orders came to more than $55b at the current list prices since the launch in April 2004. Using 20 percent less fuel per passenger than other aircraft of similar size, Boeing markets the plane as lightweight and fuel-efficient. Much of the fuel savings are achieved through aerodynamic changes to plane design, however Boeing is also the first major airliner to use composite material for most of its construction. As the name suggests, composite materials are produced when two different materials are combined to give a combination of properties that cannot be attained in the original materials. In the aerospace industry, the most commonly used composite is one where the matrix (resin) binds together high strength fibers such as carbon, glass or Kevlar, to produce lighter and more efficient structures. Composite components are significantly stronger and lighter than traditional metallic structures.The Boeing 787 is the most fuel efficient commercial airplane to date. Airbus's new super-jumbo A380 is not even close, according to Florez. The manufacturers do seem to agree on one thing, however: In regard to carbon emissions, it is neither Airbus nor Boeing who can reduce carbon emissions, but rather the engine companies, such as General Electric, Pratt and Whitney and Rolls Royce. Florez believes it is the responsibility of the aircraft engine manufacturers to produce engines that have outstanding efficiency, and the lowest emissions possible. “As a design engineer, I am always striving to design the lightest, most aerodynamic structure, so if the engine is not at the cutting edge of technology, then the aircraft will not be as green as it can be”.Despite the increase in air traffic, it appears that airline carriers are seeking to take on their share of the task of mitigating global warming, but what are the engine guys doing? We’ll have to investigate!