Climbing to new heights : The importance of considering passengers on the flight towards more sustainable forms of aviation

Abstract: Within the commercial aviation industry, with its ever increasing global carbon footprint rising with consumer demand, the need for more sustainable forms of aviation has become more necessary than ever. With growing demands for emission reductions and better energy management practices across all industries in initiatives such as the Paris Agreement, there has never been a more pressing time to explore the existing and potential pathways towards more sustainable forms of aviation. While there are many new and innovative technologies aiming to reduce commercial aviation’s impact on the environment, there are other important aspects to consider, inherent to the commercial aviation industry. Key to the successful adoption and wide-spread usage of sustainable aviation technology is the consideration of passengers, their perspectives and perceptions of the industry in its current state, and their knowledge and opinions of these various new technologies. In order to contribute to this consideration of passengers and their importance, this thesis aims to investigate their perspectives on the industry and its sustainable transition, explore their perceptions of the environmental impact of air travel, as well as uncover how much passengers are willing to pay to support the incorporation of sustainable aviation fuels to reduce carbon emissions in the industry. To do this, a two-pronged approach was used, which combined a quantitative passenger survey along with qualitative interviews to collect data from a diverse group of respondents in Sweden. Applying Rogers’ theory on Diffusion of Innovation, this study investigates passenger perceptions, attitudes, levels of knowledge and trust, and willingness to pay to reduce their carbon emissions. The study also seeks to gain insights into and make sense of the different factors and barriers affecting the adoption rates of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) amongst passengers, and identify the characteristics of innovative passengers and early adopters. The results of this study showed that the current use of SAF, such as biofuels, amongst the population is still relatively early on in its adoption phase. However, the future looks bright for the future of sustainable aviation - at least from a passenger perspective. The actual amount passengers were willing to pay for reducing CO2 emissions was significant, and tools such as the Fly Green Fund can be of great help in providing a platform for passengers to minimize their carbon footprint when flying.