Safe skies, sustainable future The Assam Tribune 7 December 2024

 Safe skies, sustainable future

 The 7^th December every year has been celebrated as the International Civil Aviation Day since 1994. The date and year has a historic significance.

 It was in 1903, the Wright Brothers successfully demonstrated the first flight in an open field named Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, United States. The technology developed rapidly thereafter. The first world war (1914-19) gave a big fillip to the manufacturing of aircrafts in the United States and Europe. Most of these aircraft were used for warfare. Such aircraft, mostly monoplanes or bi-planes had limitation in height and speed. After serving in warfare, the abandoned aircraft were used by war-trained pilots to carry “airmail” -  the first service offered by the civil aviation to the mankind.

 In 1933, the service of carrying passenger began. Boeing 247, the world’s first airliner could carry 10 passengers and flew 50 percent faster than the earlier versions. World war II (1939-45) brought a sea change to aviation with the invention of jet engine and an alloy that was hard like iron but lighter in weight. The technique to pressurizing the aircraft body was also found out. Bigger-bodied aircraft started emerging in the sky. Such an aircraft, B-29 named Enola Gay, in August 1945 carried the atom bomb to strike over two cities in Japan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Towards the end of the war, international air transportation across the oceans became a reality.

Soon after the World War 2, on 7the December, 1944, 52 nations met at Chicago, United States, and formed an organization to make the rules of flying. This is how the global regulator of civil aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came into being. After forming the United Nations Organization (UN) in 1945, the ICAO became a specialized agency of UN to promote safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. Now, 193 countries that are members of the United Nations are also Member-States of the ICAO. The vision of ICAO is to achieve the sustainable growth of the global civil aviation system.

In 1994, ICAO completed 50 years and to mark the golden jubilee, it was proposed to celebrate the day as the International Civil Aviation Day. The UN officially recognized it in 1996. The primary objective of celebrating the day is to generate awareness about the importance of international civil aviation for global communication, economic development and socio-cultural exchange. This year, 2024 is the 80^th year of ICAO. On this occasion, ICAO has adopted a new theme –“safe skies, sustainable future: together for the next 80 years.” The theme focusses on sustainable aviation practices and addresses climate change challenges.

 Air Transportation is the economic driver of a region. In a recent report of Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), it is estimated that aviation industry contributes 4.1% to the global GDP with approximately 3.5 trillion dollars altogether. The industry also supports 87.7 million jobs globally with 11.3 million direct employments. It is estimated that in the next 15 years’ time, by 2038, its contribution will increase to 6.3 trillion dollars with approximately 143 million jobs.

The civil aviation industry is passing through a transformation period. During the pandemic (COVID-19), this industry was badly affected. However, it has now regained its glory to the pre-pandemic levels. With the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Drone technology, VTOL (Vertical take-off and landing), Vertiports and digital transformation, civil aviation is entering a new era. Appropriate regulation is the prerequisite for using such technologies for the good of mankind. Safety and Security play very important role in the aviation industry. ICAO and its member-states are working hard to formulate policies to use such technologies to the best benefit of society. In many developed countries, urban air mobility (UAM) is currently in experimental phase and is expected to be implemented soon. It will bring unprecedented changes to the lifestyle of people with a new mode of transportation.

Aviation is a major source of greenhouse gas emission. In 2022, aviation alone accounted for 2.5% of global CO2 emission. Aircraft emissions produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (Nos), methane, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and many by-products. Industry is also looking for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), an alternative to the air turbine fuel (ATM), the fossil fuel being used so far. Production and use of solar power are being maximized. In India, Cochin airport has set an example of producing solar power to meet the entire demand and supply the excess to the state electricity board. Vehicles used at airports by airlines, ground handling agencies and other stakeholders are also being replaced by electric vehicles (EVs) as a part of environment sustainability programme.

Aviation Industry is pioneer in adopting new technologies. Many processes traditionally executed by human resources are being replaced by technology. New airports are coming up with facilities that are mostly operated by technology, minimizing manpower requirement is getting reduced to minimum. During covid-19, the touchless security system got a big boost. The new security equipment and gadgets introduced at airports are capable enough to check passenger and baggage without any human touch. Similarly, need of checking documents is being replaced by biometric verification and DigiYatra system.

In terms of domestic air travels, the top three civil aviation markets are the United States, China and India. India has the highest growth of domestic passenger globally. The country has adopted the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 to cope up with the fast-pace demand, introducing several initiatives to create an eco-system that makes flying affordable for the masses. Under UDAN (Ure Desh ka Aam Nagrik) initiative, the government is trying to enhance regional air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports across India. It will be interesting to witness the fast-changing developments in civil aviation in the days to come.