Plenty of aviation news has been coming through off late and that is not really much of a surprise as the price of aviation fuel has doubled in the last year alone and more of the companies across the planet are looking for alternatives. Biofuel is pretty high on the list of probable solutions and biofuel out of a weed is something that is being explored currently. But keeping that aside, it becomes pretty essential that the aviation industry stops bleeding so fast so as to save itself. That is the very reason why green alternatives are being explored with such urgency.
The turboprop aircraft is making a comeback, with sales to one of the only remaining manufacturers quadrupling in 2007 and a continued upsurge expected. With high oil prices, concerns over climate change, and uncertain economic conditions keeping airlines nervous, this seemed more likely than not. Continental Airlines is putting 74-seat turboprops on various short-haul routes out of Newark this year, and claims that per seat the airline is probably saving 30% as a result of fuel efficiency and higher seating capacity. And while other airlines say they are not currently considering turboprops, orders of the Bombardier Q400 model shot up from 24 in 2006 to nearly 4 times that number in 2007.
While the turboprop is a viable and ecologically sound alternative that should make all those clamouring for green alternatives considerably happy, it still is only a very small and temporary solution to both the ecological and economic challenges that the airlines are facing today. Hopefully the whole biofuel thing works and soon fuel cells can make their presence felt too.
