Editing Airline (section)

==Environment==
{{Main|Environmental impact of aviation}}
[[File:Contrails southeast lrg.png|thumb|[[Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer|MODIS]] tracking of [[contrail]]s generated by air traffic over the southeastern United States on 29 January 2004.]]

Aircraft engines emit [[noise pollution]], gases and particulate emissions, and contribute to [[global dimming]].<ref name=contrails>{{cite journal|title=Contrails reduce daily temperature range |first=David J. |last=Travis |author2=Carleton, Andrew M. |author3=Lauritsen, Ryan G |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |page=601 |volume=418 |year=2002 |url=http://facstaff.uww.edu/travisd/pdf/jetcontrailsrecentresearch.pdf |doi=10.1038/418601a |pmid=12167846 |issue=6898 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503192714/http://facstaff.uww.edu/travisd/pdf/jetcontrailsrecentresearch.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2006 |bibcode=2002Natur.418..601T |s2cid=4425866 }}</ref>

Growth of the industry in recent years raised a number of ecological questions.

Domestic air transport grew in China at 15.5 percent annually from 2001 to 2006. The rate of air travel globally increased at 3.7 percent per year over the same time. In the EU [[greenhouse gas emissions]] from aviation increased by 87% between 1990 and 2006.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Climate change: Commission proposes bringing air transport into EU Emissions Trading Scheme |publisher=EU press release |date=20 December 2006 |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1862 |access-date=2 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112155545/http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP%2F06%2F1862 |archive-date=12 January 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> However it must be compared with the flights increase, only in UK, between 1990 and 2006 terminal passengers increased from 100 000 thousands to 250 000 thousands.,<ref>{{cite web|date=4 July 2011|title=Air transport statistics|url=http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN03760.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123071512/http://www.parliament.uk/Templates/BriefingPapers/Pages/BPPdfDownload.aspx?bp-id=SN03760|archive-date=23 November 2011|access-date=18 July 2020|website=www.parliament.uk}}</ref> according to AEA reports every year, 750 million passengers travel by European airlines, which also share 40% of merchandise value in and out of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aea.be/about/airtransportineurope/index.html |title=About Us » Air Transport in Europe |access-date=1 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724203254/http://www.aea.be/about/airtransportineurope/index.html |archive-date=24 July 2013 }}</ref> Without even pressure from "green activists", targeting lower ticket prices, generally, airlines do what is possible to cut the fuel consumption (and gas emissions connected therewith). Further, according to some reports, it can be concluded that the last piston-powered aircraft were as fuel-efficient as the average jet in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/default/files//docs/Publications/2005pubs/2005-12_nlr_aviation_fuel_efficiency.pdf|title= Fuel efficiency of commercial aircraft An overview of historical and future trends|website= www.transportenvironment.org|access-date= 18 July 2020|archive-date= 28 July 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200728115701/https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/default/files//docs/Publications/2005pubs/2005-12_nlr_aviation_fuel_efficiency.pdf|url-status= dead}}</ref>

Despite continuing efficiency improvements from the major aircraft manufacturers, the expanding demand for global air travel has resulted in growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Currently, the aviation sector, including US domestic and global international travel, make approximately 1.6 percent of global anthropogenic GHG emissions per annum. North America accounts for nearly 40 percent of the world's GHG emissions from aviation fuel use.<ref>David McCollum, Gregory Gould, and David Greene. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aviation and Marine Transportation: Mitigation Potential and Policies, 2009.</ref>

{{CO2}} emissions from the [[jet fuel]] burned per passenger on an average {{convert|3200|km|mi|sp=us}} airline flight is about 353 kilograms (776&nbsp;pounds).<ref>{{cite web|title=carbon-footprint-calculator |url=http://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator/methodology-popup.html |publisher=TerraPass.com |access-date=19 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131210919/http://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator/methodology-popup.html |archive-date=31 January 2009 }}</ref> Loss of natural habitat potential associated with the jet fuel burned per passenger on a {{convert|3200|km|mi|sp=us}} airline flight is estimated to be 250 square meters (2700 square feet).<ref>{{cite web|title=environmental impact of airline flights|url=http://xoearth.org/ecofx-airline-flights/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713194449/http://xoearth.org/ecofx-airline-flights/|archive-date=13 July 2015|access-date=26 April 2015|publisher=ecofx.org}}</ref>

In the context of climate change and [[peak oil]], there is a debate about possible [[taxation]] of air travel and the inclusion of aviation in an [[emissions trading]] scheme, with a view to ensuring that the total [[external costs]] of aviation are taken into account.<ref>[http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/eu/pdf/including-aviation-icf.pdf Including Aviation into the EU ETS: Impact on EU allowance prices] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215004933/http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/eu/pdf/including-aviation-icf.pdf |date=15 February 2006 }} ICF Consulting for DEFRA February 2006</ref>

The airline industry is responsible for about 11 percent of [[greenhouse gas]]es emitted by the U.S. transportation sector. [[Boeing]] estimates that [[biofuel]]s could reduce flight-related greenhouse-gas emissions by 60 to 80 percent. The solution would be blending algae fuels with existing jet fuel:<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303907.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=A Promising Oil Alternative: Algae Energy | date=6 January 2008 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>
* Boeing and [[Air New Zealand]] are collaborating with leading Brazilian biofuel maker [[Tecbio]], [[New Zealand]]'s [[Aquaflow Bionomic]] and other jet biofuel developers around the world.
* [[Virgin Atlantic]] and [[Virgin Green Fund]] are looking into the technology as part of a biofuel initiative.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ángel González|date=30 August 2007|title=To go green in jet fuel, Boeing looks at algae|url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/boeingaerospace/2003858756_boeingenergy30.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502050249/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/boeingaerospace/2003858756_boeingenergy30.html|archive-date=2 May 2017|work=Seattle Times Newspaper}}</ref>
* [[KLM]] has made the first commercial flight with biofuel in 2009.

There are projects on [[electric aircraft]], and some of which are fully operational as of 2013.