Research Journal of Recent Sciences ________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 134-144 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci.

CO2 Emission Reduction potential through improvements in technology
from Civil Aviation Sector in India - A Case of Delhi-Mumbai air route
Yenneti Komalirani1* and Sharma Rutool2
GEES, University of Birmingham, UK, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), INDIA
2
CEPT University, INDIA

1

Available online at: www.isca.in
(Received 26th September 2011, revised 11th January 2012, accepted 25th January 2012)

Abstract
Modern aircraft and engine technologies achieve fuel efficiencies of 3.5 litres per 100 passenger-kilometers. The A380 and
B787 aircrafts are aiming for 3 litres per 100 passenger-kilometers. However, most airlines already use advanced technology
and processes, making additional fuel efficiency improvement more difficult. But, India lags deeply in technological
management system. A study by Down to Earth says that the flights that travel between Delhi-Mumbai are delayed for an hour
and the delay cost per day is about 44 lakhs. The working paper deals with the emission reduction potential from Delhi-Mumbai
Air route which is supposed to be the sixth busiest route in the world with more than 700 flights a week through improved
technological options. Air craft and engine technologies have proved to be one of the best options for mitigating emissions from
civil aviation sector. The traffic between the national and financial capitals contributes to over 50 per cent of the total Indian
air traffic and enjoys load factors between 75-80 per cent through the year. According to a study by Petroleum Conservation
Research Association (PCRA) the average fuel wastage per flight in this route is 30% to 40%. Aviation fuel, produces about
2.158 kg of CO2 emissions per litre consumed. So in this regard this route has been taken up as priority for the study. According
to base study1, the route generated 5.62 Million Tonne(MT) of CO 2, 3.03 MT of NOx, 0.57 MT of N2O and 0.15 MT of CH4 for
the study period (2005-09) from 93481 flights that operated for that period. It was also found that the emissions from the direct
flights in the route is higher than that of via flights due to the reason that the number of direct flights (77357) are more than that
of via flights (14915) for the same period. The scope of the paper is to find out the CO 2 emission reduction potential through
three strategies in technological improvement which are installation of blended winglets, installation of dryers, and installation
of air units while studying the various technological options available across the globe. The three strategies have been identifed
after studying several strategies prevalent Internationally which can be applicable to Indian environment and state of affairs.
Keywords: Civil aviation, Delhi-Mumbai, greenhouse gas emissions, technological options, fuel efficiency.

Introduction
Air transport performs many functions in modern societies
and plays an integral role in the development of an
economy1. Aviation facilitates economic growth with 8% of
world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), helps in realizing
the socio-economic objective of providing connectivity to
foster travel and trade with 35% of inter-regional exported
goods, exchange cultures through tourism with about 40% of
international tourists and provides huge employment creating
about 32million jobs2. The sector has been leaping skyward
and seen a strong growth in demand since its advent in 1912
with (5-8) % growth per anuum3. Aviation, an increasing
contributor to economic and social well being is increasingly
being singled out as a major source of greenhouse gas(GHG)
emissions, a significant contributor to global climate change
and a source of air pollutants4. In 2004 aviation’s CO2
emissions were 705 million tonnes, including commercial,
military and general aviation5. Statistically, this represents
2.54 per cent of global emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel use
(56.6 per cent of 49GtCO2-eq in 2004). There is a concern
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among the scientific community that, despite the very low
percentage of GHG emissions from commercial aircraft
operations, the standard cruise altitudes of those aircraft
could compound the effects of their GHG profile through a
process that is commonly referred to as radiative forcing. The
recent findings from 2005 indicate that aviation has grown in
the intervening years and the value must be updated and
increased to 3.5 per cent of all anthropogenic forcing, and
this number increases to 4.9 per cent with the cirrus cloud
enhancement effect6. By 2050, the contribution of aviation to
warming would be by a factor of 3 to 4 over the value from
2000 and would contribute to 5%-6% of global GHG
emissions7. Table-1 illustrates the contribution of
international aviation to CO2 emissions for the year 2003.
―Human-generated emissions at the Earth’s surface can be
carried aloft and affect the global atmosphere. The unique
property of aircraft is that they fly several kilometers above
the Earth’s surface. The effects of most aircraft emissions
depend strongly on the flight altitude and whether aircraft fly
in the troposphere or stratosphere. The effects on the
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Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 134-144 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci
atmosphere can be markedly different from the effects of the
same emissions at ground level. The rate of growth in
aviation CO2 emission is faster than the underlying global
rate of economic growth, so aviation’s contribution to total
emissions resulting from human activities is likely to grow in
coming years‖4. At present, though domestic aviation is
included in the system of national GHG inventories on which
the Kyoto GHG reduction targets and the Climate Change

Bill’s targets are based, there is no agreed methodology as to
how these should be assigned to individual countries8.
Against the background of significant growth in air travel
and aviation markets, and as a result of government and
public focus on climate change and its consequences, airlines
are coming under increasing pressure to reduce their GHG
emissions.

Table-1
Carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation bunkers for 2003 (Source: TERI, 2008)
Country
Emissions
Percentage contribution in global international
(in million tonnes)
aviation emissions
United States
49.5
13.80
Former USSR
33.01
9.20
United Kingdom
23.47
6.54
Germany
21.34
5.95
Japan
20.56
5.73
France
15.54
4.33
China (including Hong Kong)
12.73
3.55
Mexico
7.93
2.21
India
7.83
2.18
Australia
6.87
1.92
Brazil
3.35
0.93
South Africa
2.47
0.69
Pakistan
2.39
0.67

Gas
CO2
NOx
CO
O3

CH4
SOx
H2O

HC
Soot
Contrails
Cirrus

Table-2
Gases emitted from Aviation and their impact on Atmosphere (source: IPCC 2000)
Impact
Carbon dioxide is the product of complete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel.
Carbon in fuel combines with oxygen in the air to produce CO2.Long-lived GHG. Contributes to global warming.
Nitrogen oxides are produced when air passes through high temperature/high pressure combustion and nitrogen
and oxygen present in the air combine to form NOx.
Carbon monoxide is formed due to the incomplete combustion of the carbon in the fuel.
It is not emitted directly into the air but is formed by the reaction of VOCs and NOx in the presence of heat and
sunlight. Ozone forms readily in the atmosphere and is the primary constituent of smog. For this reason it is an
important consideration the environmental impact of aviation. Lifetime weeks to months. The effect of O 3 is high
at subsonic cruise levels and causes radio-active reactions at those levels.
Lifetime of ~10 years. Aircraft NOx destroys ambient CH4
Sulfur oxides are produced when small quantities of sulfur, present in essentially all hydrocarbon fuels, combine
with oxygen from the air during combustion. Scatters solar radiation to space. Impact is one of, cooling.
Water vapor is the other product of complete combustion as hydrogen in the fuel combines with oxygen in the air
to produce H2O. The effect is small because of its small addition to natural hydrological cycle.Triggers contrails,
but actual contrail content is from the atmosphere.
Hydrocarbons are emitted due to incomplete fuel combustion. They are also referred to as volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). Many VOCs are also hazardous air pollutants.
Absorbs solar radiation from space. Impact is one of warming.
Reflect solar radiation, have cooling effect; but reflect some infrared radiation down to earth, that is warming
effect; but net effect is one of warming.
Contrails can grow to larger cirrus clouds (contrail cirrus), which can be difficult to distinguish from natural cirrus.
Generally warming effects.

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How does Aviation sector affect climate?: Air craft
typically cruise at altitudes of 8 to 13km, where they release
several types of gases and particles from fuel combustion
which alter the composition of the atmosphere and contribute
to climate change9. This cruising makes the aircraft engine
contribute to GHG emissions roughly of about 70% CO 2, a
little less than 30% H2O, and less than 1% each of NO x
(oxides of nitrogen), CO (carbon monoxide), SOx (oxides of
sulphur), VOC (volatile organic compound), particulates, and
other trace components. CO2 is 2 percent and NOx is 8
percent of the global anthropogenic gases at present but will
increase if the aviation sector continues to grow, which is
expected to be at an average rate of 3%10. The emissions are
to be double folded from 1992-2050 (CO2- 476MT -2808
MT) if the sector grows on present scenario 11. Currently, the
estimates of emissions by the sector are estimated to be 1.48
billion tons by 2025, which exceeds the estimates made in
2004 by about 1.3 billion tons12. Aviation emissions effect
not only the environment but also the industry and society as
a whole. Globally the world's 16,000 commercial jet aircraft
generate more than 600 million tonnes of CO2, the world's
major GHG source, per year13. Indeed aviation generates
nearly as much CO2 annually as that from all human
activities in Africa10. This increase in emissions also
increases the radiative forcing (The Radiative Forcing Index
is the measure of total effect of climate change. It is
measured for Aviation as the ratio of total RF to that of
CO2= (CO2+O3+CH4+H2O+Contrails+Particles)/CO2) to
(4-12) by 2050 as compared to 1992 4. Table- 2 captures the
impacts of gases emitted by the sector.
Emissions calculation: The Delhi-Mumbai case: Since its
advent in India in December 1912, the sector has witnessed 5
to 8 per cent growth in demand per annum14. India’s air
travel is up by 8% with Domestic passengers increased by
27.9% in the first three-quarters of 2007-08, international
passengers by 14.8% and cargo by 11%, and the air craft
movements’ are also increased by 23.3% in Apr-Dec (200708) 15. The overall air traffic is up by 25% with freight traffic
up by 11%. Growth in this sector outpaces the global average
by 202516. This huge growth in the sector would lead to huge
emissions which are not quantified till now. The contribution
of individual countries including India of the aviation sector
to global emissions has not been identified12. But, in India
too, the rise in aviation-related emissions is expected to be
almost as impressive (at over 4 per cent per year). These
numbers might seem small, but are significant given their
rapid growth, and is of particular concern for at least two
other reasons- ―First, it is highly energy-intensive using more
energy per person-kilometer than a single occupancy car.
Second, its contribution to global warming is around three
times greater than is indicated by the carbon dioxide

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emissions alone. During 2003-04, the total aviation emission
was 7.60 Tg (2.9%) of the total transportation emissions‖ 17.
During 2004–2005, aviation sector has become second major
source of transport emissions as there is tremendous increase
in the number of passenger movement and also international
and domestic flights5. Table 3 depicts the sectors
contribution to varios GHG emissions.

Material and Methods
Calculating emissions: The Delhi-Mumbai connect: To
propose the emission redcution strategies, first emissions
from the route need to be calculated. The emission
calculation for the route is explained through a 3 step
methodology.
Step 1: calculating the air traffic: Delhi-Mumbai is said to
be the sixth busiest route in the world and the busiest route in
India with more than 700 flights a week and a load factors
between 75-80 percent throughout the year16. The traffic
between the national and financial capital contributes over 50
per cent of the total Indian air traffic. It is mentioned that the
average fuel wastage per flight operating in this route is 3040 percent17. ―Under normal conditions a new generation
Boeing or Airbus will take two hours and use up to 4,500 kg
of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) for a journey. According to many
pilots it was common for a flight to hover in the air for an
extra hour. For every hour a plane hovers in the sky, it
consumes between 2,200 kg and 2,400 kg of ATF‖ 17. There
are several other factors which made to study the route based
on several studies. According to the study by Down to
earth17, ―it says that just the extra fuel being burnt everyday
between Delhi and Mumbai pumps 248.2 tonnes of CO 2
which is caused by 161 small cars running for a year. In
terms of monetary value this fuel burnt cost to Rs. 44 lakh
for a day‖. ―Due to the increase in the air traffic, the foggy
conditions during the winters in Delhi have increased
drastically over the past decade. Meteorological data for
December and January in 1983 shows the average clear
visibility during the day in the capital was 5:07 hours. This
decreased to 10 minutes in 2005. Duration of dense fog rose
from half an hour per day in early 1980’s to two-three hours
in 2003.The humidity during the winter months in Nation
Capital has shot up by up to 90% between 1981 and 2003‖ 18.
He also attributes increased fog to a drop in maximum
temperatures during winters and increase in aerosol in the
atmosphere. So in this regard this route has been a priority to
take up the study. Though the air traffic is often divided into
Civil IFR (Instrumental Flight Rules) flights; Civil VFR
(Visual Flight Rules) flights, also called general aviation;
Civil Helicopters, and Operational Military flights, this study
focuses only on commercial airlines which covers ordinary
passenger aircrafts.

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There are two different types of traffic in this route – the first
being Direct flights (Delhi-Mumbai) and second being Via
flights (Delhi – X – Mumbai). The direct flight is the flight
travelling directly without any halt and indirect flight is the
flight travelling via another city with a halt. From the data
received by Delhi airport for the study period of 2005-09,
there are 16123 direct flights and 77357 via flights at the
Delhi airport. The route has a maximum density of 85
flights/day considering the direct and via flights as a whole.
The traffic gradually increased from 13681 in 2005-06 to
18573 in 2006-07, 12745 in 2007-08, and 34703 in 2008-09
respectively. The growth is declined in the year 2007-08 and
is increased for the year 2008-09. On the other hand, there
are about 20 via routes. The via flights are also found to be
increasing for the period 2008-09 compared to the decrease
for the period 2007-08 from 2006-07.

Aviation
High speed diesel
Light diesel oil
Fuel oil
Aviation turbine fuel

CO2
85.860
6.3600
222.23
7294.14

Step 2 – Using the formulae (IPCC methodology): After
estimating the number of flights travelling between the
routes, the amount of emissions from the flights are
calculated. For calculating the emissions, the present study
considers the Intergovernmental IPCC Tier method for
aviation under the energy sector. Of the three proposed
Tiers, the present study considers the Tier-1 method which
is described as very simple and is purely fuel based. The
simplest methodology is based on an aggregate figure of fuel
consumption for aviation to be multiplied with average
emission factors. The emission factors have been averaged
over all flying phases based on an assumption that 10 percent
of the fuel is used in the LTO phase of the flight19.
Emissions = Fuel Consumption * Average Emission
The following are the default emission factors: CO2 : 19.5
tonne C/PJ; CH4 : 0.5 kg/PJ, and N2O : 2 kg/PJ

Table-3
Aviation fuel contribution to GHG emissions
CO
NOx
CH4
SO2
PM
1.1699
0.9359
0.0058
–
–
0.0867
0.0693
0.0004
–
–
2.8535
2.2828
0.0143
–
–
2565.35
8.7331
6.5498
–
–

HC
–
–
–
–

N2O
0.0007
0.0001
0.0007
–

NMVOC
0.2340
0.0173
0.5707
–

(Source: Total emission from Indian Aviation sector for 2004/05 (Gg) (Source: emissions from India’s transport sector: Statewise analysis, T.V
Ramachandra, Shwetamala)

Table-4
Composition of flights in the study route for the study period 2005-09
Routes
Arrivals
Departures
Delhi-Mumbai All flights (via)
6942
9181
Delhi-Mumbai Direct flights
24821
52536
Total
31763
61717

Total
16123
77357
93480

(Source: calculated by authors based on data from Delhi airport, 2009)

Figure-1
Flights in the via routes between Delhi-Mumbai (@Delhi airport for the period of 2007-09)
Note: For full form of abbreviations of the routes in the figure refer abbreviations at the end of the paper

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Table-5 provdes the aggregate emission factors for NOx,
carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and non
methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). For
estimating the total emissions of CO2, SO2 and heavy metals
the Tier 1 methodology is sufficient, as the emissions of
these pollutants are dependent on the fuel only and not
technology.
Step 3- Emissions from the route (using IPCC Tier-1
method): After considering the Tier-1 method formula for
calculating the emissions, the same is applied for calculating
the emissions from the Delhi-Mumbai route. The same
method can be applied for any other routes or elsewhere. For
the route GHG emission potential estimate is carried out
considering the Landing-Take off cycles and cruising.
Although the sector has different GHG emissions, the sutdy
is carried out only for CO2, NOx, N2O, and CH4. Further the
following assumptions are considered for calculating
emissions (table-6). The assumptions as shown in the table
are taken from various sources and discussions held with

experts as mentioned. The emission factors are considered
for Tier-1 method.
Using the above emissions and the Tier-1 formula above, the
emissions are calculated for direct and via routes as
mentioned below. The Delhi-Mumbai has maximum amount
of emissions with maximum flights of 77357 for the study
period (2005-2009). The CO2 is maximum with about 4.71
Mt for the period followed by NOx (2.53 Mt), N2O (0.48 Mt)
and CH4 (0.12 Mt). It is also found that the emissions are
reduced for the period 2007-08 as the number of flights of
the period is decreased. Similarly the via routes had a total
number of 14915 flights for the period of 2007-09 (data
availability). The CO2 is maximum with about 0.90 Mt for
the period followed by NOx (0.48 Mt), N 2O (0.09 Mt) and
CH4 (0.02 Mt) (table-7). But unlike the direct flights via
flight have been increasing over the period increasing the
total emissions annually. However, in both the scenarios, the
average emissions are found to be 61 TCO2e/flight, 33
TCO2e/flight (NOx), 6 TCO2e/flight (N2O) and 2
TCO2e/flight (CH4) respectively.

Table-5
Emission factors and fuel use for the representative aircrafts
Tier 1 Emission Factors
Domestic
Fuel SO2 CO2 CO NOx NM-VOC CH4 N2O PM2.5
LTO (kg/LTO) – Average fleet (B737-400)
825
0.8 2600 11.8 8.3
0.5
0.1 0.1 0.07
LTO (kg/LTO) – Old fleet (B737-100)
920
0.9 2900 4.8 8.0
0.5
0.1 0.1 0.10
Cruise (kg/tonne) – Average fleet (B737-400)
1.0 3150 2.0 10.3
0.1
0
0.1 0.20
Cruise (kg/tonne)- Old fleet (B737-100)
1.0 3150 2.0 9.4
0.8
0
0.1 0.20
International
Fuel SO2 CO2 CO NOx NM-VOC CH4 N2O PM2.5
LTO (kg/LTO) – Average fleet (B767)
1617 1.6 5094 6.1 26.0
0.2
0.0 0.2 0.15
- LTO (kg/LTO)–Average fleet (short distance, B737-400) 825
0.8 2600 11.8 8.3
0.5
0.1 0.1 0.07
- LTO (kg/LTO)–Average fleet (long distance, B747-400) 3400 3.4 10717 19.5 56.6
1.7
0.2 0.3 0.32
LTO (kg/LTO) – Old fleet (DC10)
2400 2.4 7500 61.6 41.7
20.5
2.3 0.2 0.32
- LTO (kg/LTO) – Old fleet (short distance, B737-100)
920
0.9 2900 4.8 8.0
0.5
0.1 0.1 0.10
- LTO (kg/LTO) – Old fleet (long distance, B747-100)
3400 3.4 10754 78.2 55.9
33.6
3.7 0.3 0.47
Cruise (kg/tonne)- Average fleet (B767)
1.0 3150 1.1 12.8
0.5
0.0 0.1 0.20
Cruise (kg/tonne)- Old fleet (DC10)
1.0 3150 1.0 17.6
0.8
0.0 0.1 0.20
*Sulphur content of the fuel is assumed to be 0.05% S (by mass) for both LTO and cruise activities. ** Assuming a cruise distance
of 500 nm for short distance flights and 3000 nm for long distance flights. Source: Derived from ANCAT/EC2 1998, Falk 1999,
and MEET 1999 and IPCC 1998.PM2.5 data (= PM10 emissions) Source: inferred from smoke data from ICAO database (ICAO
2006) using the methodology described in DfT PSDH (UK-DfT 2006).
Table-6
Assumptions considered for emisssion calculation
Fuel consumption of aircrafts
Units
Value
Emission factors (Tier-1)
Total fuel consumption of Airbus
Kh/hr
1300
CO2
Total fuel consumption of Boeing
Kh/hr
1200
NOx
Total fuel consumption of ATR
Kh/hr
600
N2O
Total fuel consumption of CRJ2
Kh/hr
1628
CH4
Average fuel consumption
Kh/hr
1250
Radiative Force Index (RFI)
(Source: IPCC 1998 for emission factors and discussions with airlines for fuel consumption of aircrafts)

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Units
CO2e
CO2e
CO2e
CO2e

Value
19.5
10.5
2
0.5
2.5

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Table- 7
Emissions for the route (both direct and via flights)
Route

No. of flights

Emissions (TCO2 e)
NOx
N2O
2538267
483479

BOM-DEL (Direct flights) (2005-09)

77357

CO2
4713925

BOM-X-DEL ( via flights) (2007-09)

16123

908909

489413

93221

23305

61

33

6

2

Average emissions

CH4
120870

(Source: calculated by the authors)

Results and Discussion
The present section deals with the existing aviation emission
strategies internationally and proposed technological
strategies which proved to have a potential of emission
reduction in a great deal. There would be several mitigation
measures for aviation emissions, including changes in air
craft and engine technology, fuel, operational practices, and
regulatory and economic measures4. These could be
implemented either singly or in combination by the public
and/or private sector. Further proposals are made with
respective to technological options for India taking the case
of Delhi-Mumbai route.
Existing Instruments for Mitigation measures: Aircraft
and Engine Technology Options: According to International
Aviation Transport Association (IATA) technology advances
have substantially reduced most emissions per passenger-km.
However, there is potential for further improvements (Ex:
Environment friendly engine, raft fan, Open rotor). Any
technological change may involve a balance among a range
of environmental impacts. Assuming that the goals can be
achieved, the transfer of this technology to significant
numbers of newly produced aircraft will take longer—
typically a decade20. Research programmes addressing NOx
emissions from supersonic aircraft are also in progress21.
Fuel Options: There would not appear to be any practical
alternatives to kerosene-based fuels for commercial jet
aircraft for the next several decades20. Reducing sulfur
content of kerosene will reduce SOx emissions and sulfate
particle formation. Jet aircraft require fuel with a high
energy density, especially for long-haul flights. Other fuel
options, such as hydrogen, may be viable in the long term.
Operational options: Improvements in air traffic
management (ATM) and other operational procedures could
reduce aviation fuel burn by between 8 and 18%22. The large
majority (6 to 12%) of these reductions comes from ATM
improvements which it is anticipated will be fully
implemented in the next 20 years22. All engine emissions
will be reduced as a consequence
Regulatory, Economic, and Other Options: Although
improvements in aircraft and engine technology and in the

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efficiency of the air traffic system will bring environmental
benefits, these will not fully offset the effects of the
increased emissions resulting from the projected growth in
aviation23. Policy options to reduce emissions further
include more stringent aircraft engine emissions regulations,
removal of subsidies and incentives that have negative
environmental consequences, market-based options such as
environmental levies (charges and taxes) and emissions
trading, voluntary agreements, research programmes, and
substitution of aviation by rail and coach24. Most of these
options would lead to increased airline costs and fares.
The emission reduction options thus can be mainly
categorized into three categories mainly; Technology
Management, Operations Management and Economic
Instruments. The paper deals only with the technological
options. Although there are several mitigation measures
through technology improvements, the following explained
are some of the measures that proved to be effective and can
be implemented for Indian conditions.
Proposed technological options: This section describes
what can be achieved from technology improvements to
reduce fuel consumption in air transport and eventually
emission reductions. These technological strategies are
worked out for the case study route. However, based on a
further study these strategies have a potential for the entire
sector in the country. For the strategies in technology, the
following base emissions is considered for GHG emission
reduction calculation. As the base emission calculation is in
the present scenario, the same is considered for comparison
with the emission reduction scenarios. The emission
reduction scenario from the technological improvements is
considered only for the Delhi-Mumbai air route. Table 9
presents the emissions in the route yearly.
Installation of Blended winglets: Winglets area added parts
which lower drag and improve aerodynamic efficiency, thus
reducing fuel burn25. Depending on the missions of flying,
blended winglets can improve cruise fuel mileage up to 6
percent25. They also make aircraft more efficient by reducing
drag near wing tip making it more efficient by climbing
faster. Better climb performance also allows lower thrust
settings, thus extending engine life and reducing maintenance
costs. Lower required thrust levels extend on-wing Life. By

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reducing fuel consumption, winglets help lower CO2 and
NOx emissions by 5%.
Dimensions- Each winglet is 8 feet long and 4 feet in width
at the base, narrowing to approximately two feet at the tip.
Added wingspan - Winglets add approximately 5 feet to the
airplane's total wingspan - from 112 feet 7 inches to 117 feet
2 inches.

Weight- Each winglet weighs about 132 pounds. Increased
weight to the airplane for modifying wing and installing
winglets is about 480 pounds.
According to a study by Air New Zealand and Boeing, it is
found that by installation of blended winglets the aircraft
would be 5% fuel efficient compared to the conventional
wing tip.

Table-8
Derived Emission calculation for the years (Delhi-Mumbai only)
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
Total flights
13592
19393
12821
Total amount of fuel (kg)
24634723
35149295
23237545
Actual cost of fuel (US$)
16776246509
26361970982
2149728795
Actual cost of fuel (Million US$)
16776
26362
21495
Total CO2 emissions(T)
1200943
1713528
1132830
Total NOx emissions (T)
440376471
692001738
564236631
(source: calculated by the authors)

2008-09
29436
53351973
36332693759
36333
2600909
953733211

Figure-2
Dimensions of the winglets (source: Liebeck 2004)
Table- 9
Emission reduction by installation of winglets
2005-06
2006-07
Fuel efficiency by installation of winglets (kg)
23402987
33391830
Cost of installation of winglets (US$)
750000
Reduction of cost of fuel after installation of
15937
25044
winglets (million US$)
CO2 emission reduction potential (T)
1140896
1627852
NOx emission reduction potential (T)
614328
876536
Total CO2 emission reduction (T)
60047
85676
Total NOx emission reduction (T)
32333
46133
Total cost of fuel saving (million US$)
839
1318

2007-08
22075667

2008-09
50684375

20420

34516

1076189
579486
56642
30499
1075

2470863
1330465
130045
70024
1817

Cost of Total Fuel saved for the study period (Million US$)
5048
Total CERs generated(T)
332410
@' price of 13$/T US$ generated
43,16,350
@' price of 13$/T Million US$ generated
4
Note: The CER price of 13$/T is taken as of the January,2009 price.
(Source: calculated by authors based on Liebeck 2004 for winglets information)

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Res.J.Recent.Sci
Although the installation of winglets take high price for the
initial year, the payback period would be less than 3years as
the fuel saving is high. Also the CERs value would also be
high.
Installation of dryers: Electronically powered dryers
mounted in the space above the ceiling or under the floor,
reduce moisture trapped in insulation between the air craft
outer skin and cabin lining26. They typically remove around
200 kg of water from each aircraft having a potential of
saving 20, 00,000 kg fuel a year26. They also have potential
for reducing corrosion and improve engine and aircraft life.

Figure- 3
Typical air dryers
Weight- Weight of the complete system is less than 32 kg.
Dryers can save about 5, 00,000 US gallons of fuel a year
reducing CO2 by 4700T/year. Air New Zealand saved 9.7
million US gallons of fuel and reduced CO2 by 90,963T.
With this it is saving around $43 million each year. So

accordingly, by installation of dryers around 2312kg of fuel
can be saved for 42 aircraft.
Installation of Air units: Mobile ground based air units are
used for cabin venting, cooling and heating on parked
aircraft27. The diesel powered pre-conditioned air units along
with ground-based electric power replace the use of aircraft’s
on auxiliary power unit (APU) which runs on jet fuel 27.
These ground based units burn about 10 times less fuel than
APU’s further by reducing the cost of fuel and eventually the
GHG emissions.

Figure-4
Typical ground based air units
Dimensions- Length: 384 cm
width: 183cm
194cm Weight: 2,540kg

Height:

Endurance- Approximately 8 hours of continuous operations
for full fuel tank. The other features by installation are; Easy
to operate, Economical and Durable. For example, at SeaTac airport at 19 gates, the airport could save 1.1 million
gallons of fuel per year saving $ 2.6 million annually. The
emissions were reduced by 24 million pounds a year.

Table-10
Emission reduction by installation of dryers
2005-06
2006-07
Fuel efficiency by installation of dryers (kg)
23886540 34401111

2007-08
22489361

2008-09
52603790

Reduction of cost of fuel after installation of dryers (million US$)

16267

25801

20803

35823

CO2 emission reduction potential (T)

1164469

1677054

1096356

2564435

NOx emission reduction potential (T)

627022

903029

590346

1380849

Total CO2 emission reduction (T)

36474

36474

36474

36474

Total NOx emission reduction (T)

19640

19640

19640

19640

Total cost of fuel saving (million US$)

509.5

561.1

692.1

509.5

Cost of Total Fuel saved for study period (MillionUS$)
2272
Total CERs generated(T)
145896
@' price of 13$/T US$ generated
18,94,457
@' price of 13$/T MillionUS$ generated
1.9
Note: The CER price of 13$/T is taken as of the January,2009 price.
(Source: calculated by authors based on Blanchfield 2007 for dryers information)

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Res.J.Recent.Sci
Table-11
Emission reduction by using air units
2005-06
2006-07
Fuel efficiency by installation of air units (kg)
22171251
31634365
Reduction of cost of fuel after installation of air units 15099
23726
(million US$)
CO2 emission reduction potential (T)
1080848
1542175
NOx emission reduction potential (T)
581995
830402
Total CO2 emission reduction (T)
120094
171353
Total NOx emission reduction (T)
32333
46133
Total cost of fuel saving (million US$)
1677.6
2636.2
Cost of Total Fuel saved (Million US$)
10,097
Total CERs generated(T)
664821
@' price of 13$/T US$ generated
86,32,701
@' price of 13$/T Million US$ generated
9
Note: The CER price of 13$/T is taken as of the January, 2009 price.
(Source: calculated by authors based on Hodgkinson 2007)

Conclusion
Most innovations in aviation were probably made in the first
50 years of its development, with the difference between the
Wright Flyer (first flight in 1903) and the Boeing 707 (first
flight in 1954) being much larger than between the Boeing
707 and the Airbus A380 (first flight in 2005) 28. Current
technology on the market for the civil aviation sector is in
effect mature. The above discussed technologies though has
a signficant amount of emission reduction found to be
expensive for the airline industries. Thus there is a need for
technological R and D to be developed for improved
technological creation. Furthermore, the strong increase of
cost and risk involved with revolutionary innovative new
aircraft programmes have become prohibitive factors.
Without financial or new regulatory or economic pressures to
innovate, only incremental developments are likely in the
near and medium future. Though modern aircrafts achieved
fuel efficiencies of 3.5 litres per 100 passenger-kilometers,
A380 and B787 are aiming for 3 litres per 100 passengerkilometers27. However, most airlines already use advanced
technology and processes, making additional fuel efficiency
improvement more difficult. IATA has a voluntary goal to
improve their fuel efficiency by 10% between 2000 and
2010, and are planning to set more ambitious targets5.
But not many steps are taken in India to mitigate these
emissions except a few. India is a signatory member of
ICAO, as a member of the ICAO it need to mitigate the
emissions and follow the international aviation. IATA as its
priorities in 2008 proposed to achieve reduction of atleast
6million tonnes of CO2 from operations and infrastructure 5.
IATA has also set that there should be no growth in the
Aviation climate change emissions from 2020 and that it
should be carbon free within 50 years by now. A voluntary

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2007-08
20913790
19345

2008-09
48016776
32699

1019547
548987
113283
30499
2149.5

2340818
1260440
260091
70024
3633.3

agreement (MoU) is signed between the Industry and the
Government of India for mitigating the emission in 2006 but
no formal study has come till now9. Indian Institute of
Science (IISC) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in
a joint work are working towards calculating the emissions
from the civil Aviation sector14. These are the few studies
that are going on this sector which are comparatively less.
The government should propose to work with industry to
develop effective technologies along with policy framework
to respond to climate change with a focus on the following
elements: Finalising the design of the policy mechanism for
emission reduction targets, including application of the
scheme to domestic aviation; consideration of means to
support the uptake of technical, operational and other
measures to constrain the net carbon footprint of aviation,
which complement the actions taken in the offset mechanism
and ETS; propose new initiatives of Air-services to work
with airlines on the implementation of fuel saving measures
including flexible flight tracks, improving aircraft air traffic
control sequencing and introducing continuous descent
approaches; working through ICAO on a practical approach
to address international aviation emissions; working towards
a better understanding of aviation emissions and their impact,
including through the development of tools for
comprehensive carbon monitoring and foot printing; and
Assisting all stakeholders in the region to respond to the need
to reduce their carbon footprint through bilateral agreements
through involvement with APEC and ICAO.

Acknowledgment
We acknowledge the constant support, encouragement from
our parents and friends to bring out this paper successful. We
also thank Dr. Dipak Sharma for his reviews and the support
provided to bring out this paper successfully.

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Res.J.Recent.Sci

Routes
AGR
AMD
ATQ
BBI
BDQ
BHO
BHO/IDR
BLR
BOM
CCJ
COK
CJB
CCU
DED
DHM
GOI
GAU
GOP
GWL
HJR
HYD
IDR
IMF
IXA
IXB
IXC

Full form of the route
AGRA
AHMEDABAD
AMRITSAR
BHUBANESWAR
VADODARA
BHOPAL
BHOPAL – INDORE
BANGALORE
MUMBAI
KOZHIKODE
COCHIN
COIMBATORE
CALCUTTA
DEHRADUN
DHARAMSALA
GOA
GAUHATI
GORAKHPUR
GWALIOR
KHAJURAHO
HYDERABAD
INDORE
IMPHAL
AGARTALA
BAGDOGRA
CHANDIGARH

Abbreviations
Routes
IXD
IXJ
IXL
IXP
IXR
IXU
IXZ
JAI
JDH
JLR
KUU
LKO
MAA
NAG
PAT
PNQ
RPR
SLV
STV
SXR
TRV
TIR
UDR
UDR
VNS
VTZ

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