New 'planet-friendly' airbus to offer direct flights from Vancouver to Germany
The Condor A330neo landed in Vancouver Thursday, with the leadership team touting its distinctly designed plane as "one of the most sustainable aircraft in the skies."
The company says its new Rolls Royce engine and aerodynamic design have resulted in lower CO2 emission levels, citing it as the first aircraft in the world already certified for the regulatory reduction in CO2 emissions, required by 2028.
“So the aircraft, the neos we have, they meet these requirements already today,” said Mikko Turtiainen, director of sales, the Americas, Condor Airlines.
One aviation emissions expert says the company is on the right track, but the industry has plenty of work to do in order to reach emission goals.
"The fortunate part about the A330neo is its existing aviation technology, being optimized for sustainability," said JR Hammond, executive director with Canadian Advanced Air Mobility.
The industry, in line with a United Nations target, adopted the long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"We have immense challenges to hit that goal," added Hammond. "We are still en route with the technology progression coming from the electric, hydrogen, and new energy propulsion technologies but it’s not going to be easy.”
B.C.'s Harbour Air is making progress on electrifying its seaplane fleet, recently committing to the purchase of 50 electric-powered engines.
“Ultimately our big vision is to develop a sustainability aviation hub on the west coast,” said Jessica Dunn, head of marketing for Harbour Air.
The company aims to have at least one electric plane commercially certified by 2026.
Larger planes, however, remain a greater challenge. Hammond says a hybrid 30-passenger plane could be in the Canadian skies by 2030, but long-haul airliners, such as the Condor A330neo, will take significantly longer to achieve net-zero status.
“This aircraft and this technology will not get us to 2050 net zero," said Hammond. But some of these optimization pieces in the wings and in the fuel consumption is going to give us a better opportunity with new electric and hydrogen aircraft. So we treat this as some of the ingredients en route to the actual aircraft that’ll get us to net zero.”
The Condor A330neo will fly direct from Vancouver International to Frankfurt, Germany, five times a week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates Car security investigation: How W5 'stole' a car using a device we ordered online
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
South African government says it won't help 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine
South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
'The Woodstock of our generation': Taylor Swift photographer credits email to her connection with the superstar
Taylor Swift has millions of fans worldwide, but Brampton, Ont.'s Jasmeet Sidhu has gotten closer to the musical icon than most.
opinion Why the new U.S. administration won't have much time for us
In a column for CTVNews.ca, former Conservative Party political advisor and strategist Rudy Husny says that when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau goes to the G-20 summit next week, it will look more like his goodbye tour.
A look at how much mail Canada Post delivers, amid a strike notice
Amid a potential postal worker strike, here’s a look at how many letters and parcels the corporation delivers and how those numbers have changed in the internet age.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
More than $400 million pledged by nine foundations to help solve climate change in Canada
A group of families and foundations from across Canada have pledged more than $400 million over the next decade to help solve climate change.
India's 'most wanted terrorist' arrested on gun charges in Canada
One of India's most wanted terrorists has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent alleged shooting in Ontario.