The hydrogen revolution in skies

Before the Covid pandemic hit and grounded planes worldwide, aviation was said to contribute to about 3% of global CO2 emissions. As trivial as the numbers may look, they, are supposedly more than the entire emission of Germany! Also affecting rise in world temperatures is "radiative forcing"-of which CO2 is the main factor. Aviation contrails, which are basically water vapour trials from airplane wings, are another major factor contributing to the cause.

With advancements in technology and the advent of more efficient engines, CO2 emissions from commercial flights have fallen more than 50% since 1990.

How good is hydrogen over conventional jet fuel?

Hydrogen looks promising as an alternative fuel to the convention fuel used in aviation. Regardless of whether it is used to power a fuel cell for electricity generation or directly combusted for motive power, water is the only by-product produced. Hydrogen packs a lot of energy per unit of mass, making it more relevant in commercial flying.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising technology vectors to allow mobility to continue fulfilling the basic human need for mobility in better harmony with our environmentGrazia Vitaldini, chief technology officer at Airbus.

It came as no surprise then, that in Sept of 2020, Airbus unveiled Project zeroE-wherein it presented 3 concept planes which, at the time, the company proposed would enter service by 2035. Let's take a look at the models below:

1. Turboprop (propeller)Capable of carrying 100 passengers with a maximum range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km). The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system would be located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

AIRBUS

2.TurbofanCapable of carrying about 200 passengers with a maximum range of 2000 nautical miles(3,704km). Again, The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system would be located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

AIRBUS

3.Blended-Wing Body(BWB)Prototype with a generous wide intérior area. This opens up multiple options for hydrogen storage and distribution.Powered by two hybrid hydrogen turbofan engines, liquid hydrogen tanks would be stored beneath the wings.

AIRBUS

Also worth noting is the fact that hydrogen fuel cells generate electrical power which basically complements the gas turbine. What we now have is an highly efficient hybrid-electric propulsion system. The benefits of such a system are innumerable.

Do the benefits really outweigh the cons though?

As attractive as the benefits seems to look, not everyone in the industry is optimistic about the transition towards low/zero carbon flight.

Ariyan International Inc

Experts have propagated that although hydrogen has higher energy by mass than jet fuel, it still is lower by volume meaning it would have to be compressed to extremely low temperatures for sufficient storage. This translates to heavier and much more complex tanks for the storage of compressed hydrogen.

Chemically, the density of hydrogen is just about 1/4th that of jet fuel. Basically meaning, aircrafts may have to carry fewer passengers to make space for storage tanks or compromise on overall size.

As of today, liquid hydrogen is estimated to be twice as expensive as conventional jet fuel and will continue to remain so for the next few decades.

Our belief is that it will take a while for all the technology and elements of hydrogen propulsion to be worked out before we can get to… commercial useSean Newsum, director of environmental strategy at Boeing Commercial, recently told to the Financial Times.

So, what are the alternatives?

The Geneva-based, Air Transport Action Group is hopeful of still achieving zero CO2 emissions but only by 2050 or so.According to the group, although hydrogen would be playing a part, it would be still be marginal as compared to the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel(SAF).

ADS group

If SAF production can be scaled up – and aviation needs 500 million tonnes a year by 2050 – we can make a huge contribution for our planetPaul Stein, chief technology officer at the engine makers Rolls Royce.

SAFs apparently have the obvious advantage over jet fuel in that they are chemically similar, can be filled into existing systems without having to redesign them thereby reducing delays and is comparitively cost-effective.

COVER: Airbus

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation along with General Dr V K Singh (Retd.) virtually flagged off the first direct flight operations between Jamnagar (Gujarat), to Bengaluru (Karnataka) & Hyderabad (Telangana) under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Government of India. Shri Jawaharbhai Chavda – Minister of Tourism Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister of Civil Aviation, Gujarat, Smt. Poonamben Hematbhai, Member of Parliament, Jamnagar, alongside Shri R C Faldu, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Shri Raghavjibhai Hansrajbhai Patel, MLA also graced the flag off event virtually.

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Smt. Usha Padhee along with the senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) were also present at the launch of the flight operations. Operationalizing of this route expands the aerial connectivity of Jamnagar to 03 major cities of India that includes Mumbai (Maharashtra), Bengaluru & Hyderabad.

“I am happy to announce the kick-starting of regional connectivity from Jamnagar under UDAN. From today, M/s Star Air will operate first time direct flights between Jamnagar and Bengaluru including flights between Jamnagar and Hyderabad under UDAN. Jamnagar is the perfect blend of trade, cultural, and religious hubs. Moreover, I am delighted to announce that we are planning to commence 10 more additional flights from Gujarat under UDAN. The UDAN scheme envisioned by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been a game-changer for the civil aviation sector of the country.”Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

Jamnagar is also called the “Chhoti Kashi” due to the presence of more than 100 temples. Jamnagar is well known for its four marble Jain temples: Vardhman Shah Temple, Raisi Shah Temple, Sheth Temple, and Vasupujya Swami Temple; all built between 1574 and 1622. Furthermore, Jamnagar is also called Gateway city to one of the Chard Dhams – Mokshapuri city – Dwarka. 

The city of Jamnagar is also known as the World's Oil City due to the presence of the world's largest Oil Refining and Petrochemicals Complex near the village of Moti Khavdi & the second-largest private refinery in India located in the nearby town of Vadinar. Owing to the presence of more than 5,000 large-scale and 10,000 small-scale workshops manufacturing brass items Jamnagar was formerly termed as 'Brass City' of the country. The region records the largest production of brass items in the country.

Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of air or rail connectivity, people were compelled to spend long travel hours to reach these cities. Availability of direct flight between Jamnagar and Bengaluru will drastically cut down the travel time to 135 minutes from earlier 07 hours taken for air travel using connecting flights via Mumbai. Alternate option of road travel between these two cities also takes over 30 hours while train travel takes around 20 hours.  

Likewise, the completion of the entire journey took more than 1 day to reach Hyderabad from Jamnagar by train and road travel or vice-versa.  Due to the non-connectivity of direct flights between these two cities, it took more than 06 hours for air travel using connecting flights. Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 130 mins.

Star Air will be operating thrice-weekly flights on the route and will deploy its 50-seater Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.

Star Air was awarded the above routes during the UDAN 3 bidding process. The airlines are being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable & accessible for the common people. The airline will be operating thrice-weekly flights on the route and will deploy its 50-seater Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft. The route marks the commencement of the 32nd UDAN route by the airline.

To date, 369 routes and 60 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme.

The flight schedule is mentioned below:

FLIGHT NO.SECTORDEPARTUREARRIVALFREQUENCYAIRCRAFT OG131 Bengaluru - Jamnagar 06:35 08:50Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday ERJ145 OG149 Jamnagar - Hyderabad 09:15 11:30Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday ERJ145 OG150 Hyderabad - Jamnagar 15:15 17:20Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday ERJ145 OG132 Jamnagar - Bengaluru 17:45 20:00Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday ERJ145

Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), as the name suggests, is a scheme aimed at offsetting carbon emissions for international flights. This is implemented as a part of the effort to mitigate aviation impact on global climatic change.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) doesn't recognize emissions from international flights as they are beyond the scope of nationally-determined climatic change. Hence these emissions are now accounted for by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Adoption of the policy

In October 2016, the 191 member nations of the ICAO came together and took the historic decision of forming what is known as "CORSIA". This would require operators to purchase carbon offsets to cover their emissions above 2020 levels, starting from 2021.CORSIA will regulate 25% of aviation's international emissions although the scheme doesn't propagate a definitive target like containing global warming which was the main objective at the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Following the implementation of CORSIA, it is expected that it will help reducing 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2021 and 2035.However, it is to be noted that this scheme only applies to international flights as domestic emissions fall under the surveillance not the UNFCCC-covered by the Paris Agreement.

How does CORSIA work?

The implementation of CORSIA has been developed keeping the concerns of developing and developed nations in mind. All participating nations would take part in three phases:

1. 2021-2023 and 2024-2026 : These are two initial, voluntary phases2. From 2027- This would be a mandatory phase for all nations participating.

ICCT

During the initial phase, emissions from international flights operating to and from volunteering States will be tracked while non-participating countries would be exempt.The mandatory phase, starting from 2027 will have emissions tracked from all international flights, regardless of their participation in the initial phases.

That said, states with a very small share of international traffic or less geographical area (the official definitions are covered by the UN), developing landlocked countries maybe exempt from this scheme. However, should they wish to participate, they most well can.

Aviation : Benefits Beyond Borders

The key players

All participating airline operators will be evaluated based on the level of CO2 they emit. This includes all aircrafts from large passenger airlines, cargo airlines, business aviation to private aviation.All airlines, as of Jan 2019,will have to submit annual reports of CO2 emissions exceeding 10000 tonnes, to their national authority. Governments will then work with the ICAO, after the reports are evaluated by a third party, to inform airlines of the offset credits they require.

Participation so far

ICAO

About 75+ countries representing over 85% of international aviation are a part of CORSIA (as of Jan 2018), although India and Russia are yet to join the scheme. Also worth-noting is the fact that India has 4 of the 5 carbon-neutral airports in the entire Asia-Pacific region and the world's first fully solar operated airport.

Going ahead

CORSIA is just a part of Aviation's strategy in doing its part to help alleviate global climatic change. It is actively pursuing its goals through a four-pillar strategy focussing more on sustainable fuels, carbon-intensive technology, more efficient operations, and better infrastructure. If all goes as planned, it might well achieve its plan of reducing 50% of CO2 emissions by 2050.

With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, the drop in air traffic rendered the scheme a little weaker. Worldwide fleet groundings meant the baseline would cost too much as airlines now would be forced to buy more offsets.

Consequently. the ICAO in June, excluded 2020 from the baseline until at least 2023, stating it would be inappropriate to further burden the economic woes of already struggling airlines. What that means is airliners are most unlikely to buy any offsets for the next 5-6 years, regardless of the economic recovery (or otherwise).

IATA

COVER: Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists

The government is looking to monetise 25 AAI-managed airports, including Varanasi, Chennai, Nagpur and Bhubaneshwar, over the next four years, which could bring in investments worth INR 20,782 crore.

Further, divestment of the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) residual stake in four airports JVs has also been considered under the national monetisation pipeline (NMP) unveiled on Monday (August 23). This includes the private sector operated airports in Mumbai (26 per cent stake), Delhi (26% stake), Hyderabad (13% stake), and Bangalore (13% stake).

The total airport assets for monetisation account for 18% of the overall airport assets under the management of the AAI. The total value of assets considered for monetisation is estimated at INR 20,782 crore for FY 2022-25.

The government is looking to monetise 25 AAI-managed airports, including Varanasi, Chennai, Nagpur and Bhubaneshwar, over the next four years

Under the ambitious NMP, the government has identified 13 sectors, including airports, which could monetise their brownfield infrastructure assets. The airport's sector contributes 4% to the overall INR 6 lakh crore NMP unveiled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.

As per the NMP document, 25 major AAI airports are considered for monetisation over FY 2022-25. These airports include Udaipur, Dehradun, Indore, Ranchi, Coimbatore, Jodhpur, Vadodara, Patna, Vijaywada and Tirupati.

"The larger objective is to focus on monetisation of these 25 airports, while bundling of smaller airports may be explored based on market testing of transactions and investor feedback," it said.

During the current fiscal, the AAI has identified six airports in Tier 2/Tier 3 cities namely, Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy for monetisation through brownfield PPP models.

Under the ambitious NMP, the government has identified 13 sectors, including airports, which could monetise their brownfield infrastructure assets

"To ensure commensurate development of non-profitable airports along with the profitable airports with the help of private sector investment and participation, pairing /clubbing of smaller airports with each of the six bigger airports and leasing out as a package is being explored," it said.

The AAI manages 137 airports, including 24 international airports, 10 customs airports, and 103 domestic airports.

The AAI is a statutory body constituted by an Act of Parliament with the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure both on the ground and air space in the country.

"Airport monetisation through brownfield PPP models has been boosted in India by the success stories of asset monetisation of four airports Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. This is primarily in terms of improved user experience and increases in value for all stakeholders," the NMP document said.

The AAI manages 137 airports, including 24 international airports, 10 customs airports, and 103 domestic airports.

During FY 2020-21, six AAI airports were leased out to the private sector through PPP based model, namely, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangalore, Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram and the assets are in process of getting handed over to the operator. Further, this is backed by the presence of a strong regulatory and contractual framework which has helped retain investor confidence, it added.

While smaller airports like Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore and Raipur is planned to be monetised in the current fiscal, monetisation of bigger ones like Chennai and Vadodara is expected in the 2023-24 fiscal.

Calicut, Coimbatore, Madurai, Jodhpur are among the eight airports listed for monetisation in 2022-23 fiscal, while Dehradun, Agartala and Udaipur will be taken up in the last phase in the 2024-25 fiscal.

The construction of the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar International Airport here is likely to be completed by June next year, a top airport official said.

Currently work is going on in full swing for the new world-class terminal building that is being built at an estimated cost of INR 417 crore, the official said.

Veer Savarkar International Airport, Director, Jameel Khaliq told PTI that 83% of the construction of the new terminal building of the Airport has been completed. The Airports Authority of India has set a target date of June 2022 for the completion of the project.

Proposed look of the new airport

The new terminal building, once complete, will also give a boost to the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) that aims to enhance connectivity to India's unserved and under-served airports. Besides, the terminal will also provide new employment avenues for islanders and be a major boost to the modern infrastructure in these islands.

The scheme has received significant interest from leading domestic carriers and startup airlines due to the various fiscal and monetary incentives therein and the three-year exclusive right to operate on the allotted RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) routes, said the official.

The new integrated terminal building of the airport, being built in an area of 40,000 square metres, will be able to handle 1,200 passengers -- 600 domestic and 600 international passengers-- at a time during peak hours.

The shell-shaped design of the building has been inspired by nature - a shape that is a part of the seas and islands. The height of the terminal building roof would vary between 18 metres and 32 metres. The building will have three floors.

Work in progress

While one floor would be used as departure and as a service area, the other floors would be used for access to the terminal building and the arrival of passengers, and as a waiting lounge for international passengers.

Among other facilities, the new airport will have four aerobridges, 10 elevators and six escalators, 28 check-in counters, an in-line scan system for handling baggage, three conveyor belts for arrival baggage, two for domestic and one for International, which will be separated by a sliding glass partition.

The terminal will also feature easy check-in, ease of movement to departure gates and minimum queuing as well as nice waiting and shopping areas and 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day which will be achieved by skylights along the roof. The Veer Savarkar International airport is the main airport in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

As trivial as it may sound, clouds are an integral part of aviation weather. From the ground up, these masses may look naive but there's more than meets the eye. Clouds impart critical information to the pilots regarding the weather of a particular area. Hence it becomes imperative that pilots become adept at decoding these naive masses to ensure a safe and sound operation of a flight.

The categorization of clouds, as is accepted today, was first advocated by Luke Howard, an amateur meteorologist from London. Most of the terms for clouds derive their names from Latin names (as we'll soon see).

 Clouds are subject to certain distinct modifications, produced by the general causes which affect all the variations of the atmosphere; they are commonly as good visible indicators of the operation of these causes, as is the countenance of the state of a person’s mind or body--Howard

So, how are clouds formed and what are the types?

Basically, clouds are formed by the evaporation of water from the earth's surface. This moist air rises upwards and reaches altitudes where the density is low. This causes the moist air to expand and cool to a point where it no longer can hold water vapor and hence becomes saturated. This condenses into water droplets, forming clouds.

TYPES OF CLOUDS

Clouds are broadly divided into 3 which are then sub-divided further.

LOW LEVEL

As the name suggests, these clouds have a base that extends to about 6500 feet above the earth's surface. They are almost entirely composed of water as they are in warmer air as are closer to the earth's surface. This is of most interest to the pilots with regards to flight safety such as turbulence, poor visibility, icing, and runway contamination.

 STRATUS: Found in the lower levels of the atmosphere, these are commonly seen as clouds with an uniform base. Precipitation from stratus most likely will result in a drizzle.

Source

STRATOCUMULUS:The stratus can sometimes disintegrate to form the stratocumulus, which appears as a sheet or a patch of cloud. Generally greyish in colour, it can appear to be whitish at times or a mixture of both. Visibility, as compared to the Stratus, is much better and precipitation at sub-freezing temp can lead to turbulence and possible icing.

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CUMULUS:They are the iconic "cotton wool" clouds with dazzling white top and  a darker base as the formation prevents the entry of sunlight to the base. They are generally dense and detached and precipitation within can produce intense, short bursts of rain--soaking a small area leaving either sides dry.

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CUMULONIMBUS: By far the largest cloud formation, extending from the lower altitudes all the way up to higher altitudes. It can be picturised as a thick, heavy towering mass of dark cloud that spreads out to form, what is called a "anvil" - a classic indicator of turbulent air which might lead to thunder and lightning.

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NIMBOSTRATUS: "Nimbus"- the Latin word for rain, this stratus cloud,also known as the quintissential "rain clouds", produces moderate but continuous rain

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MIDDLE LEVEL

These clouds have a base between 6500 feet to about 20,000 feet. Again the primary composition being water, some of it is supercooled.

ALTROSTRATUS:Appearing as a bluish veil and commonly found in mid-altitudes, sunlight rarely makes it through. That makes it a perfect environment for stable air system with little or no turbulence.

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ALTOCUMULUS: Precipitation can cause some turbulence with little amount of rain and some icing, though not as much. They generally appear as whitish-grey patches of clouds with an uncanny resemblance to waves/rolls.

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HIGH LEVEL

Generally found at bases over 20,000 feet. Extreme low temperatures here mean no water droplets would escape freezing.

CIRROCUMULUS: With a typical "rippled" appearance, these don't produce any precipitation as such although they can generate some turbulence and icing. Found at lower levels at high altitudes, they often appear as patches or made up of flakes.

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CIRROSTRATUS: This cloud formation is known for its signature halo or luminous circle around the sun or moon as its ice crystals refract light.This halo effect can seriously impede visibility and has little to zero icing effect

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CIRRUS:Composed of ice crystals, they move quickly through the atmosphere appearing as delicate white bands. Produces zero precipitation.

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COVER: NASA climate change