Aircraft technology's

Abstract

Aviation brings many advantages to society, reflected in its huge growth figures. But, aviation is also criticized for its many undesired effects. Sustainable Development as a concept is brought forward by many of the actors in the aviation system as a way in which aviation can develop itself in order to reduce its undesired effects. Some actors refer to expected large technological changes as a potential solution for the undesired effects of aviation in all categories of Sustainable Development. This research tries to find out if there is some truth in that last claim, by addressing the following question: What is the potential of a set of expert-selected new aircraft technologies to contribute to Sustainable Development; i.e. what is their potential to reduce actor defined adverse effects of flying while keeping the benefits? Given the results of this research, the expert-selected and assessed technologies have a potential to contribute to some characteristics of Sustainable Development, but, technology cannot keep up with the predicted growth in air travel demand, which increases the adverse effects of aviation. In addition, implementation of new technology and replacement of old technology takes a long time -- up to 40 years. Many roadblocks (e.g. airport infrastructure adaptations) need to be taken out of the way. Psychological mechanisms, such as discounting and fairness appraisal, play a delaying role in the implementation process. For the aviation system as a whole, two important drivers for innovation appear to be lacking: sense of urgency for change and availability of sufficient amounts of money. It is recommended that serious investments be made and incentives created to stimulate the development of other technologies that can contribute to sustainability. In addition, one might search for other options than technology to improve the contribution of aviation to Sustainable Development.