Category: Milestone

Ryanair & Trinity College Launch SAF Centre Ryanair Commits To 12.5% SAF Goal By 2030

Trinity College Dublin in partnership with Ryanair, EU’s greenest airline, today (29 April) announced the launch of the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre. This landmark initiative – the first of its kind in Ireland – has been made possible by a €1.5m donation which Trinity will use to seed a multi-disciplinary research team to engage in best-in-class research around Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems and Noise Mapping. This new knowledge will inform the policies of both EU and international governments on making aviation environmentally and economically sustainable, as well as harness future investments by the aviation industry towards sustainability. The project, which will employ six people, is due to commence in Summer 2021.

Ryanair believes that aviation must play a leading role in addressing climate change, and is placing an increased emphasis on mitigating how its business impacts the environment. By 2030, Ryanair’s goal is to power 12.5% of its flights with sustainable aviation fuels. This together with investment in new Boeing “Gamechanger” aircraft, will significantly reduce its CO2 and noise footprint over the next decade.

Sustainability and Low Carbon Technologies are a key thrust of new knowledge generation at Trinity. This partnership will become part of E3 – the Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative at Trinity College Dublin, which is tackling complex, global problems, such as those faced by the aviation industry. This Gold Standard research will seek to develop sustainable solutions for an industry striving towards a profitable, carbon neutral future, with greener offerings for their customers and a liveable planet for all.

The Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre will accelerate three key core areas of research:

Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems
Noise Mapping for Low-Noise Aircraft Fleets

Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler, said:

“This €1.5m donation by Ryanair to help open Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Research Centre is a hugely exciting project and an important pillar of our environmental targets, supporting our goal to power 12.5% of flights with sustainable aviation fuels by 2030. As Europe’s largest airline, we have a responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment, to make flying greener and lead our industry towards a more sustainable way of flying while keeping our fares low and affordable for all EU families.

This partnership with Trinity College Dublin seeks to inform and improve future investment by the aviation industry to secure a carbon neutral future for aviation and noise reduction through investment in new technologies. We look forward to working with Associate Professor Stephen Dooley, Professor Stephen Spence and their teams, as they engage in much-sought after research around Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Zero Carbon Aircraft Propulsion Systems and Noise Mapping for low noise aircraft fleets in the hope that the industry will have the knowledge to invest confidently in sustainable fuels and technology going forward”.

Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, said:

“The critical need for humanity to meet the great challenge of our time – climate change – demands new thinking on every front. Science and technological research have a vital role to play in finding balanced solutions for a better world and E3 is Trinity’s farsighted response to this demand. Using emerging technologies, our multi-disciplinary teams of scientists and engineers in Trinity’s new Sustainable Aviation Research Centre will tackle important questions such as how to reduce aircraft emissions with sustainable aviation fuels, electric propulsion, and reduced noise and we are delighted to welcome Ryanair, which has committed itself to being Europe’s cleanest and greenest airline, on board as we explore these exciting new horizons.”

Caption: L to R: Neil Sorahan, CFO Ryanair Group; Thomas Fowler, Director of Sustainability, Ryanair DAC; Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin

Ryanair Customers Offset 280,000 Tonnes Of Co2 In Uganda

Thousands Of Fuel-Efficient Cookstoves Have Been Distributed In Partnership With First Climate

Ryanair, Europe’s greenest/cleanest major airline, today (30 Oct) announced that its customers’ donations have offset 280,000 tonnes of CO₂ with the distribution of thousands of fuel-efficient cookstoves in Uganda.

Ryanair’s “Improved Cookstoves Project”, in partnership with First Climate, is funded by Ryanair customers through its carbon offset programme, which gives the opportunity to offset the carbon cost of flights by making a voluntary donation to Ryanair’s environmental partners at the end of the booking process.

Over 90% of Ugandans (and almost 3 billion people worldwide) cook daily over an open fire or on simple wood/charcoal stoves. The charcoal/wood that is used releases toxins, smoke and greenhouse gases such as CO₂ and methane, both of which contribute to climate change. In addition, 2% of Uganda’s forest cover is lost every year, with fuel wood use being the second biggest driver of deforestation after land-clearing.

Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs said:

“We are delighted to see more and more customers contributing with voluntary donations through our Carbon Offset Initiative. Projects like First Climate’s “Improved Cookstoves” prove that these donations have significant and tangible results on the environment and societies.

We are pleased to support First Climate and we encourage our customers to continue supporting these exciting partnerships by making carbon offset donations when booking flights on the Ryanair.com website. We sincerely thank them for making projects like this possible.

CEO of First Climate, Jochen Gassner said:

“It is only thanks to voluntary commitment such as Ryanair’s and their passengers’ that projects like the Uganda Improved Cookstoves Project can be implemented. This commitment is an important contribution to climate change mitigation and also helps improve the lives of thousands of local families. We are grateful for the support we receive for the project.”

Ryanair Customers Donate €250,000 To Renature Monchique

Ryanair, Europe’s No 1 airline, today (22 Oct) donated €250,000 to Renature Monchique in Portugal as part of its Carbon Offset Initiative funded by customers. This money will pay for the planting of thousands of trees in the Monchique area of the Algarve, which was destroyed by wildfires in 2018. Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary presented the €250,000 cheque to Renature Monchique and a group of Portuguese tourism and forestry partners, demonstrating Ryanair’s commitment to both the Algarve region and the environment.

Ryanair is Europe’s greenest airline, operating the youngest fleet with the highest load factors, and the most efficient fuel burn per passenger. Ryanair delivers industry-leading CO2 emissions per passenger-km of just 66g, which is up to 50% lower than Europe’s other 4 big airlines.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“Ryanair, our people and our customers are proud to support this reforestation initiative in the Monchique region of the Algarve. Thousands of hectares of trees were destroyed by forest fires in 2018. We’re very happy to provide these funds to help restore the region’s forests and the unique natural beauty of the Monchique region.

GEOTA’s President, Marlene Marques said:

“This commitment from the private sector provides the opportunity for civil society to support the restoration of important and unique forest habitats to the fire-devastated areas of Monchique of the Algarve. Renature Monchique will help restore the ‘cultural landscapes’ of this area, an important national and international tourism destination.

We therefore welcome Ryanair’s and its customers’ support for this initiative as we return these vital habitats to this area, not only for the species that flourish in these habitats, but also to return the devastated woodlands, forests and river bank vegetation that make up this culturally important place. In so doing, Ryanair is also supporting the local council to meet their requirements under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, by preventing further land degradation and supporting the climate change mitigation efforts of carbon sequestration by planting trees.”

President of the Algarve Tourism Region, João Fernandes said:

“As the Algarve is a region internationally renowned for the outstanding quality of its beaches and golf courses, a commitment to nature conservation is extremely important for tourism in the area. We are delighted Ryanair’s and its customers’ commitment towards the renaturing of the Monchique Mountain, whose forest habitats were recently devastated by a wildfire. Without the commitment of all involved parties – environmental NGO GEOTA the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, the Algarve Tourism Board and other local entities, in addition to Ryanair – it would not be possible to promote the ecological restoration of Monchique’s land and forests in harmony with the remaining territory of the Algarve – which is still the main holiday destination in Portugal.”

Rui André, Mayor of the Municipality of Monchique said:

“The Forest, its management and planning as well as the way people relate to their rural and forest territory are undoubtedly the great challenges of our collective future. Climate change that frighteningly makes us look to the future with great apprehension requires real changes in everyone’s daily action, seeking a carbon balance, for which the essential role of our Forest will be fundamental.

The challenge is global, but the necessary relation between policy makers with civil society, allied to corporate social responsibility, scientific knowledge and local populations, make projects like these an invaluable contribution to the necessary change. The recent wildfire is a challenging opportunity for us to draw a new landscape, productive and environmental, but also to enable man to live in harmony and safety, in a more resilient environment that continues to make Monchique a true garden, but above all the “lung” of the Algarve region.”

Ryanair Refutes Transport & Environment Report As Guesswork

“This report by Transport & Environment is based on guesswork and not facts. Claims in this report that regional airports are “likely to be in receipt of state aid” is not research, it’s guesswork. The airports they refer to represent less than 6% of Ryanair’s 152m annual traffic.

Ryanair does not receive subsidies. We negotiate arms-length commercial agreements with our airports, which all fully comply with EU competition rules. Primary beneficiaries of Ryanair’s regional flights are passengers and regional tourism – not shareholders.

Ryanair actively supports regional airports and hundreds of thousands of jobs in regional economies. Without Ryanair’s services many of these airports would close down.

Ryanair is Europe’s greenest/cleanest major airline with the youngest fleet and highest load factors. Our CO2 per passenger/km is 66g, half the rate of other flag carrier European airlines. Ryanair is committed to reducing this by a further 10% to under 60g per pax/km by 2030.

Ryanair paid over €540m in environmental taxes in 2018 and will pay over €630m in 2019 (up 17%). This equates to €4.12 per passenger, which is 11% of Ryanair’s average air fare.

As part of Ryanair’s environmental commitment, we are investing over US$20 billion in a fleet of 210 new Boeing 737 aircraft, which will carry 4% more passengers but reduce fuel burn by 16% and cut noise emissions by 40%.”

Ryanair – No. 1 for traffic while No. 5 for emissions

(Eurocontrol 2019)