By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
With Aviation emerging as a more important and sustainable means of transportation in the future, setting up the right vision will be crucial for success, said Christer Haglund, Finnair's senior vice president for public affairs and corporate communications.
Haglund introduced the European carrier's forecast of the future of the aviation industry and its strategy for the Korean market at a media briefing in Seoul, Monday.
Finnair, the oldest existing airline in the world, marked its 85th anniversary last year and has chosen to anticipate the next 85 years rather than looking to the past. Haglund stressed the importance of having a vision because ``every decision we make today impacts the future.''
``We need long-term vision. It may take 10 years from investment decision to delivery of an aircraft,'' he said.
According to the carrier's forecast, the issues of food, water, land, biodiversity, environment and sustainable development will become important and will make the aviation industry continue to grow.
Aviation is relatively friendly to the environment compared to its contribution to global economic growth. It accounts for about 2 percent of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the world but contributes 8 percent of global GDP growth. ``Aviation is an eco-efficient global industry,'' Haglund said.
He also said flying to any destination in the world is possible if there is a 3-kilometer-long runway and it's a much more efficient mode of transportation than railway or cars.
To protect the environment while traveling, the senior vice president said customers have choices and responsibility. ``By choosing airlines with modern, fuel-efficient planes and flying non-stop if possible, they can reduce CO2 emission by 30 percent.''
As to the environment, he said Finnair is the best option for Koreans traveling to Europe because the carrier provides the shortest route there, consuming less fuel.
``The average age of Finnair's aircraft is less than five years. Flying new aircraft is one way for eco-friendliness,'' Haglund said.
The airline also offers a CO2 calculator on its Web site, which passengers can use to see how much CO2 their flight emits, raising public awareness about environmental protection. ``We have the calculator but no compensation programs. We don't want to put responsibility of CO2 emission on customers,'' he said.
The carrier earlier presented designs of several ``future aircrafts'' together with Airbus.
Pascal Huet, Airbus director for market strategy, market research and forecasts, said Airbus has an eco-friendly vision, from production to design, such as reducing waste and water onboard.