The new rule requires manufacturers to incorporate improved fuel-efficient technologies into airplanes manufactured after January 1, 2028. It also applies to subsonic jet airplanes and large turboprop and piston-engine airplanes that have not yet been certified, the FAA said.

• READ MORE: FAA Proposed Rule Targets Turbine, Turboprop, and Piston Aircraft Fuel Efficiency

“We are taking a large step forward to ensure the manufacture of more fuel-efficient airplanes, reduce carbon pollution, and reach our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.

Among the aircraft that will be required to meet the new standards are the Boeing 777X and newly built versions of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner; the Airbus A330neo; business jets including the Cessna Citation; and turboprop transports such as the ATR 72 and Viking Air Limited Q400. The regulation does not affect airplanes currently in service. 

• READ MORE: ‘We Need to Fly Aircraft—We Don’t Fly PowerPoints’

Civil aircraft such as those listed contribute 9 percent of domestic transportation emissions and 2 percent of total U.S. carbon pollution, according to the FAA. 

The final rule, which can be found in the Federal Register, is part of the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the American aviation sector by 2050.

The post FAA Releases Final Rule on Aircraft Fuel Efficiency for Emissions appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The complaint was filed April 19 in Superior Court in King County, Washington. The suit names the Port of Seattle—the airport sponsor—along with Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, two of the busiest carriers at Sea-Tac.

According to the suit, pollution is “particularly acute” in the King County communities of Sea-Tac, Tukwila, Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and Renton, which it referred to as the “Contamination Zone.” Per the suit, approximately 300,000 people live in the zone, including 60,000 children.

“When planes take off and land from Sea-Tac Airport, the jet fuel they burn spews pollutants into the atmosphere,” said the 48-page complaint filed by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. “Particulate matter can also flake off from the bodies of the  airplanes themselves during flight, further contaminating the surrounding environment.”

The complaint, drawing on information gleaned from studies done by the University of Washington, asserts the pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxide, formaldehyde, acrolein, butadiene, naphthalene, benzene, acetaldehyde, and ethylbenzene; and toxic heavy metals including aluminum, barium, cadmium, copper, lead, magnesium, silver, uranium, and zinc.

“These pollutants settle over local communities, contaminating the air residents breathe and the soil where their children play,” the lawsuit continues, “It is beyond dispute that these pollutants can cause respiratory problems (including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis) cardiovascular problems, central nervous system disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.”

The plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial, clean up of the area, and health monitoring for the people affected.

The Port of Seattle is reviewing the lawsuit but would not comment on the specific claims, a spokesperson told FLYING. 

“However, it is important to note that the airport and its tenants follow strict federal, state, and local requirements as they relate to how operations impact environmental issues such as air quality and noise,” the port spokesperson said. “In addition, the airport and its tenants routinely go above and beyond regulatory requirements to voluntarily further eliminate emissions, reduce noise, and protect habitat.”  

Neither Alaska nor Delta responded to requests for comment.

The post Lawsuit Against Port of Seattle Claims Airborne Pollution appeared first on FLYING Magazine.