Ryanair donates further €2.5M to sustainable aviation research facility
Ryanair has extended its partnership with Trinity College Dublin until the end of the decade, as the low-cost Irish carrier makes a further €2.5 million donation to the facility’s Ryanair…
Ryanair has extended its partnership with Trinity College Dublin until the end of the decade, as the low-cost Irish carrier makes a further €2.5 million donation to the facility’s Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre.
Research at the facility (underpinned by an initial €1.5 million investment from the airline) started in September 2021: focusing on examining the sustainability of different SAF types, reducing the cost to certify new SAF candidates, and evaluating the operating impact of zero carbon aircraft propulsion and noise mapping.
Results presented to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) indicates that the emission intensity of a passenger’s Amsterdam to Dublin flight (aboard a Boeing 737-800 NG) could be reduced by43% by using a 50% SAF blend. Whilst many airlines have set the goal of 10% SAF use by 2030, Ryanair has previously stated its ambitious intention to target 12.5%.
“Progressing our towards our ambitious sustainability goals of Net Zero by 2050 and 12.5% SAF by 2030 will not be possible without continued support for the best-in-class research that is being done by the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre,” explained Ryanair’s director of sustainability Thomas Fowler. “Expanding out the research to better understand the non-CO2 impacts from aviation is an important next step to lead our industry towards more sustainable aviation”.
“Trinity [College] is now recognised as the 14th best university in the world in delivering the UN Sustainable Development goals, and has become a go-to-international destination for sustainable aviation research,” added Dr Linda Doyle, Provost and President of Trinity College Dublin. Dean of research Professor Sinéad Ryan added that Ryanair’s continued support would “help to ensure ongoing and new research projects deliver a number of improvement and innovations, as well as supporting interactions with regulators, policy makers and aircraft manufacturers”.
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