Uncomfortable day for aviation as Farnborough runway hits 50C

theguardian.com:

The temperature of the runway hit 50C at the Farnborough airshow this week. Officials checked for melting tarmac between the aerospace industry showing off its wares, with flights by passenger jets including the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350, assorted military aircraft and flypasts by the Red Arrows display team.

The heat on Monday was yet another reminder, if one were needed, of the urgency of decarbonising aviation, responsible for about 3% of global emissions. The threat of climate crisis has taken the shine off an industry that was once the height of glamour, and zero-emissions flight presents a technical challenge far greater than decarbonising most other parts of the economy.

Air passenger numbers are roaring back after pandemic lockdowns, even on slower-recovering long-haul routes, but aerospace executives are increasingly keen to emphasise their investments in technologies that will deliver zero-carbon flight, while governments are belatedly turning their attention to aviation emissions.

Boris Johnson confused executives with a rambling opening speech – “an audition for his future career on the after-dinner circuit”, one senior industry insider noted wryly – but the UK government also used the show to pledge that 2019 would be the peak year for aviation emissions.

The key measure – beyond an aspiration to have zero-emissions flights by 2030 in some parts of the UK – was a mandate that 10% of all jet fuel used in the UK is so-called “sustainable” aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030, double the EU’s target. This will come about thanks to an ambition to have at least five commercial-scale SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025.

Environmental groups said the strategy lacked a focus on reducing air traffic – a dirty word at