When will we fly without kerosene? These are the main alternatives

• Elsbeth Heersink

  economics editor

The May holidays are over for part of the country after this weekend. Many people have taken a plane for a holiday abroad in recent weeks: Eindhoven and Schiphol airports process tens of thousands of passengers per day.

These aircraft all fly on kerosene, while the Netherlands must be climate neutral by 2050, which is feasible according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency – provided significant action is taken. The aviation sector is difficult to make sustainable, but hard work is being done on alternatives to flying on kerosene.

These are the three most promising options:

One option that many people are thinking about is an electric airplane. But converting all the aircraft in a fleet, putting in a battery and taking off is not a feasible option. Batteries are heavy, while an aircraft must be as light as possible to be able to fly longer distances, says Henri Werij, dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft.

In addition, the lifespan of an aircraft is long if it is properly maintained, about twenty to thirty years. Each new aircraft is a multi-million investment for companies and in recent years investments have been made in quieter and more economical fleets that still fly on kerosene.

If you were to ask ChatGPT if it was possible to fly long distances electrically, the answer would be “no”.

Research shows that electric flying over longer distances is not possible, but the founders of start-up Elysian think differently. In nine years’ time, in 2033, they want to have an aircraft with ninety passengers take off that should be able to travel approximately 800 kilometers, with the ultimate goal of a range of 1,000 kilometers.

“If you were to ask ChatGPT if it was possible to fly long distances electrically, the answer would be ‘no’,” says co-founder Reynard de Vries, responsible for development at Elysian. But according to him, the technology is advanced enough to implement the plans. At the beginning of this year, Elysian received an investment of ten million dollars.

The small Teuge airport has been working on electric flying for years. The result is a small aircraft for two people with a range of just over 100 kilometers, not even enough to fly from Enschede to Amsterdam.

We took a look at the airport:

We flew around in an electric plane

Another alternative is hydrogen, which is also being looked at at TU Delft. Two sustainable options are possible: converting hydrogen into electricity and burning hydrogen for propulsion.

For example, hydrogen in liquid form can be taken on board for shorter distances. When hydrogen is converted into energy, no harmful substances are released, which is what happens when flying with a traditional combustion engine.

These are serious options for the future, but neither has yet reached the point where they are suitable for commercial aviation. Just like fully electric flying, it is still very much in the future.

Electricity and hydrogen are therefore options, but only for much later. Yet we already have to think more sustainably. The most obvious option is mixing kerosene with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This is made from biomass, residual material such as used frying oil, fat or wood. There is also an option to create SAF artificially.

Several airlines such as Ryanair and KLM have already partly switched to this addition. This is necessary, because in 2025 it will be mandatory in Europe to mix 2 percent SAF with aviation fuel.

As a consumer, you can also purchase additional SAF for your flight, such as with KLM, but European regulators call this type of practice ‘misleading’ and force companies to give up or adjust their green claims. An additional problem with the more sustainable fuel is that SAF is not yet made in large quantities. There are few producers worldwide.

Although alternatives to fossil fuels are being developed, the combustion engine is an indispensable part of the aviation sector for the time being. It will probably continue for decades.

According to De Vries from Elysian, we need to think differently about flying. Nature and Environment agrees. “The damage caused by aviation is happening now, not just in the future,” says Rob van Tilburg, director of programs at the environmental organization. “The part of the Netherlands that currently flies causes a lot of damage. Only flying less will help prevent climate damage.”

According to him, the government must take measures now: set a CO2 ceiling for aviation and tax tickets based on distance. “Now the ticket tax is next to nothing. So if you want to go to Bali you have to pay extra.”