A comparative analysis of operational climate mitigation measures in aviation

Kurzfassung

The environmental impact of air transport is driven by emissions of CO2 and non-CO2species such as nitrogen oxides and water vapor, which affect the earth’s radiative balance and contribute to climate change. Non-CO2 effects play a significant role and depend not only on fuel consumption but also on factors like emission location, time, and meteorological conditions.To reduce aviation’s climate impact within ambitious climate targets, operational measures offer promising, fast implementable solutions. These measures can address the spatial, temporal, and meteorological variability of non-CO2 climate effects. Hence, this research develops a comprehensive simulation framework to evaluate and compare operational mitigation measuresin air transport. The framework integrates flight trajectory simulation, emissions calculation, climate impact assessment, and stakeholder analysis within one modeling workflow. It enables consistent comparison of measures under varying boundary conditions through modular set-up. Results highlight the variable effectiveness and efficiency of different measures such as flight altitude and speed reduction, lateral route changes, intermediate stop operations, and formation flight in dependence of mission specific characteristics. Nevertheless, lowering flight altitude and speed appears particularly effective. The results provide a foundation for future research and support the evaluation of regulatory measures aimed at reducing aviation’s climate impact.