Sustainability and Environment

Blu sky Airplane and clouds
Sustainability and Environment

12 July 2021

Centralised information about aircraft noise

Aircraft noise leads to a lot of discussions in the Netherlands. To keep not only the general public but also politicians and policymakers properly and objectively informed, RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), NLR and To70 have bundled together relevant information about this topic and placed it on a new website, www.vliegtuiggeluid.nl. It covers topics such as measuring and calculating aircraft noise, what its effects on health are, and legislation and regulations.

Sustainability and Environment

06 April 2021

Sustainable alternatives to kerosene: the facts

Why are CO2 emissions from flying still rising although planes are becoming more economical? What would be a logical distance for flying battery-powered electric aircraft? What techniques are there for flying on hydrogen? The facts, plain and simple.

NLR Fibre Placement Machine
Construction and Manufacturing

31 March 2021

SUSTAINair is investing in circular aviation for the green transition

The SUSTAINair project is investigating and developing solutions for sustainably using raw materials and improving the performance of aircraft. This Horizon 2020 project, which recently got off the ground, is aiming at the same time to achieve circular aviation by drastically reducing the waste and material costs throughout the lifecycle of the aeroplane.

Take-off KLM vliegtuig vanaf Schiphol Airport
Sustainability and Environment

19 February 2021

Blog: Trust in aviation is about more than noise nuisance alone

The past year has been an exceptional period for aviation: the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has sharply reduced air travel world-wide. At Schiphol Airport, the number of flights has fallen by 54% in comparison with 2019. Little or no air traffic means less exposure to aircraft noise. This is a situation that is unheard of for local residents around Schiphol. It may be somewhat similar to the short-lived peace that descended when the Icelandic volcano eruption in 2010 grounded air traffic for days, or even further back, after the ‘9/11’ terrorist attacks in 2001. The difference, however, is that the present pandemic has been cutting air traffic for a year now, rather than for a few days or up to a week.

Royal NLR and TU Delft present vision for route to sustainable air transport.
Sustainability and Environment

16 February 2021

Royal NLR and TU Delft present vision for route to sustainable air transport

In the white paper published today NLR and Delft University of Technology present their joint vision on the most promising technologies for achieving a climate neutral air transport system by 2050. The European Green Deal states that Europe should be a climate neutral continent by then; a goal that comes with complicated challenges in terms of human behaviour, consumption, economics and technology. Aligned with this great challenge the white paper also presents a view to support setting up a dedicated national research and innovation programme for sustainable aviation.

Sustainability and Environment

11 February 2021

Royal NLR and SEO plot the course to sustainable aviation in Europe

As the devastating effects of climate change loom, virtually every industry has a role to play in saving the planet. With all eyes fixed on slowing the rate of global warming, to no more than 1.5°C, NLR and SEO developed a roadmap to show how the European aviation industry can meet sustainability goals and reach a net-zero carbon footprint.

professional RPAS drone operations
Sustainability and Environment

03 February 2021

Flying safely with liquid hydrogen

NLR will demonstrate drone flights fuelled by liquid hydrogen stored in tanks made entirely of composite material – a lightweight solution, with no risk of metal fatigue. With this, NLR is taking the next step towards safe, climate-neutral aviation, contributing to the ambitions of the Dutch ‘Duurzame Luchtvaartakkoord’ (Sustainable Aviation Accord) and the associated ‘Actieprogramma Hybride Elektrisch Vliegen’ (Hybrid Electric Propulsion Action Programme).

Circular Economy in Aviation
Sustainability and Environment

07 September 2020

Challenge accepted: Circular Economy in Aviation

For those passionate about aviation, 2020 has been a roller-coaster of emotions. The year started off with seemingly unlimited opportunities for the aviation industry. But within few weeks, due to the spreading of COVID-19, airlines all over the world started to ground aircraft, until reaching a never-before standstill of flights in April and May. Airlines started filing for bankruptcy and retiring iconic aircrafts such as the 747-400, while hoping to recover fast and go back to normal as soon as possible. On the other hand, as aviation was already committed to become a more sustainable industry, many saw this disruption as an opportunity to speed up such transition.