sasha on the street

Where is the future of Aviation?

The bulk of the documentary seemed to discuss the green and not-so-green side of aviation. There was some discussion regarding the ever expanding disparities in income and how fewer and fewer people in the world can actually afford to fly.

1) Virgin Airlines
Owned and operated by Sir Richard Branson, his goal is to ‘green’ his fleet of aircrafts. In this BBC articleit highlights that Branson plans to spend $3bn over the next 10 years on renewable energy initiatives, that he has ordered 15 of Boeing’s fuel-efficient Dreamliner Aircrafts, and that Branson intends to fly the first bio-fuel powered commercial aircraft. In his interview last night on The Sky’s the Limithe committed all of the profits from Virgin’s flights to finding ‘green’ fuel. His money has gone into researching algae oil as a source of fuel. Apparently you can drink the fuel of the future, although Branson claimed it tasted terrible!

2) Plane Stupid
Plane Stupid is a group of protesters that rallies to promote the effects of the aviation industry on our environment. In The Sky’s the Limitthey focused on the recent protest at Heathrow’s New Terminal, Terminal 5. They also showed a demonstration at British Airways headquarters in London, where Plane Stupid Members hung banners from their roof. With Heathrow’s plans to build a 6th terminal and a third ruway and wipe out the towns of Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington. Expect Plane Stupid to be there protecting with the citizens.

What also caught my attention was the Airbus Beluga. Both my boyfriend and couldn’t believe what we were seeing, it literaly looks like a flying whale. Designed to transport over-sized objects it looks like its ‘mouth’ opens up and swallows the object whole!

Having the opportunity to see the world and experience different culture gives everyone a much greater appreciation for humanity. I am not against travel, it offers a wealth of opportunities to learn, but I would like to see aviation travel get greener.