Towards Sustainable Aviation: Addressing Gaps and Future Perspectives in Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an increasingly vital tool for assessing the environmental impact of aircraft, which is a growing concern for the aviation industry. While significant progress has been made in recent years, there are still critical gaps in understanding the environmental impact of aviation. In particular, there is a lack of a proper aircraft-specific inventory, which limits accurate LCA calculations. In addition, there is no common understanding of how to link LCA results to flight impacts at high altitudes. This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of these gaps, including their causes, consequences, and possible solutions. In particular, we highlight the importance of developing an aircraft-specific database, which is being addressed within the ALICIA project at the German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.). Finally, we provide an outlook on the future development of LCA for aviation, including the need for further research and development in this area.