Due to fuel supply issues at Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow, airlines have been instructed to carry as much fuel as possible in their tanks, a contentious practice that could raise carbon emissions.
In a letter sent on Sunday, the airport requested that airplanes carry extra gasoline while traveling to London and refrain from carrying too much when departing due to supply concerns, according to The Guardian.
Carbon Footprint's Effects
The nine-day notice period ran from Sunday, July 23, through Monday, July 31, 2017. According to Heathrow, the request did not affect travelers or planes.
Fuel tankering is debatable because it greatly adds to the weight of the kerosene stored in the airplane's wings. That additional weight raises the fuel consumption of an aircraft and, consequently, its carbon footprint.
However, if gasoline is less expensive at one airport than another, it may still be commercially advantageous for airlines to fly there despite the added expense and carbon emissions.
According to a 2019 research by Eurocontrol, a group of air traffic controllers, the practice generates 900,000 tonnes of unnecessary carbon emissions annually in Europe alone, comparable to around 2,800 flights between Paris and New York.
Airlines utilized tankers mostly to avoid paying higher fees at particular airports, saving them a combined €265 million (£229 million). However, they occasionally employed tankers if strikes may prevent refueling.
The UK's national airline, British Airways, is one of the businesses previously charged with routine tinkering. It has been revealed that BA has been using gasoline tankers regularly since 2019 after promising to "review" the practice following a BBC Panorama probe.
The Airbus A320, the most popular aircraft in the world, can carry up to 24,000 liters of fuel, weighing 19 tonnes, in tanks in its wings and main body. Not all of the capacity would be needed for shorter journeys.
Underground pipelines transport fuel to one of two facilities after it is delivered to the West London airport. Trucks are also used to deliver some fuel.
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Heatrow Airport's Service
In contrast, Heathrow Airport Fuel Company and Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company, both of which are owned by groups of oil firms, are in charge of managing the day-to-day supply of fuel at Heathrow Airport.
The need for gasoline at Heathrow is so great that a continuous supply must be piped in from ExxonMobil's Fawley refinery in the Southampton area.
The largest refinery in the UK receives up to 2,000 cargoes of crude oil each year, which is transformed into jet fuel, chemicals for use in industry, and gasoline and diesel for vehicles and lorries. Additionally, ExxonMobil is constructing a new pipeline to the airport.
Since experts anticipate a surge in demand for air travel as developing nations get wealthier, the global aviation sector already needs help with its reputation as environmentally unfriendly. According to manufacturers, long-distance air travel has yet to be made possible by a jet that doesn't release carbon into the atmosphere.
Airlines and airports like Heathrow are beginning to utilize so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which creates net zero emissions since it is created from plants or carbon absorbed from the air without a zero-emissions technology.
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