Hainan Airlines：Green Tour to power the sustainable development

Company profile
Hainan Airlines Co Ltd (hereinafter referred to as Hainan Airlines) was founded in January, 1993 in Hainan Province, the largest special economic zone in China, and has been committed to provide comprehensive flight service for passengers. Hainan Airlines’ fleet is mainly comprised of Boeing 737s and 787s, and Airbus 330s. As of December 2015, Hainan Airlines has 166 aircrafts in operation. Since its beginning, Hainan Airlines has seen 23 years of safe operations. Hainan Airlines inherits “Oriental hospitality”, advocates a “respect for the customer” service spirit, and has won five consecutive global SKYTRAX five-star airline ratings.
Hainan Airlines has always paid attention to the environment changes when keeping the rapid development, combines corporate mission with natural environment protection, and actively fulfill its social responsibility.it is committed to be the first choice of passengers and a world famous green aviation brand. In 2015, Hainan Airlines became the first Chinese aviation company on the list of “Top Ten Chinese Enterprises for Green Action” issued by UN Global Compact Network China.
Challenges
Global resources, environment and climate problems are increasingly serious, and environment-friendly and resource-saving, low carbon and green development become the inevitable choice for human to survive and develop. Aviation industry, as a high-tech strategic industry with wide professional coverage, long industrial chain, great investment effect and strong radiation and driving effects, has to choose green, low carbon, and circular development as its choice. How to efficiently implement the green transformation of the aviation industry has become a significant challenge for the sustainable development of aviation enterprises.
Solutions
Hainan airlines adheres to the ecological civilization and low carbon economy as an important strategy to promote the sustainable development, and fully implemented “Green Tour” project. The company conducted whole process optimization for internal and external work from the production and operation, technical reform, process management, passenger services, staff awareness, publicity and so on, aiming to input the idea of green transportation into the entire service chain from the ground to the air input Green travel concept. By advocating low carbon and energy conservation, and green life, it hopes to create a world famous green aviation brand and to be a first choice for passengers.
Establish a comprehensive green management system
Hainan Airlines, by taking the lead in introducing international standard of energy management system and establishing systematic energy-saving and emission reduction control system, develops Project Management to Comprehensive Management and, through comprehensively analyzing influencing factors of energy consumption over the whole production and operation process and decomposing indexes step by step into influencing factors, realizes systematic control of results and transparency of energy consumption data via factor management. In 2015, Hainan Airlines became the first domestic airline received the energy management system certification and won the award of Top-ten Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Enterprises in Hainan Province. Moreover, energy management system construction of Hainan Airlines is listed on research topics of Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2015, providing a reliable model and referential experiences and methods for the whole industry, exploring “A New Silk Road” for green development of the civil aviation industry.
Launch comprehensive green action
Introducing energy-saving aircrafts. A batch of old aircrafts with poor fuel efficiency are replaced by new high efficient and fuel-saving ones.
Transforming energy-saving technology. The forth-generation engine washing equipment is firstly researched and created at home and put into service, controlling fuel consumption of the engine and realizing energy conservation and emission reduction; the formal engine is upgraded to lift the fuel efficiency. Moreover, winglet made of carbon fiber composite is added to reduce the induced drag, in an attempt to save fuel consumption and reduce the emission and control the noise at the same time.
Reducing load born by the aircraft. Articles adopted in the new light aircrafts approved by Hainan Airlines are roundly reformed and upgraded to reduce weight carried by the aircraft, greatly enhancing fuel saving and environment protection. Firstly, PP plastic materials with low damage rate and high reuse efficiency are launched to reduce paper products used on the aircraft and consequently efficiently control wasting of resources. Secondly, various efforts covering research and utilization of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), transformation and renovation of new and light kitchen and carbon brake, and selection and using of new aircraft coating, light lifeboat, light serving cart, light unit load devices are made to control load and save fuel.
Optimizing air routes. Hainan Airlines is the first domestic airline that uses direct route function in North America. Suggestion on direct route will be uploaded through comprehensively considering flight plan, airspace restriction, traffic flow and meteorological data for air route optimization. Take Beijing- Chicago round trip route for example, the aforementioned function will create a significant saving on fuel consumption and fuel cost of respectively 36 tons and approximately CNY 100,000 all year round.
Using clean energy. By cooperating with Boeing Company and Sinopec, Hainan Airlines completed commercial flights from Hongqiao to Beijing by bio-oil and became a bio-oil pioneer in commercial passenger flight in China and promoted aviation industry in China into the commercial flight stage in energy conservation and emission reduction field.
Green ground service. Hainan Airlines has added promotional logo for green and environment protection on air ground service items to raise travelers’ environmental awareness, control the use of paper air tickets, boarding check, cups and other papers products, and value and protect reading materials. Hainan Airlines adopted recyclable and high quality cutlery pack in airport VIP rooms to reduce material wasting and pollution. Moreover, by promoting simplified business, such as registered luggage-free self-service check-in and luggage transportation, customs clearance by QR code and other convenient services, Hainan Airlines made an attempt to realize easy, convenient, fast and effective green flight experience.
Achievements
Social benefits
Taking advantages of energy management system, Hainan Airlines promoted Green Tour energy conservation and emission reduction works in an all-round manner. Taken Year 2015 for example, 51,000 tons of fuel were saved, equivalent to reducing about 157,000 tons of carbon dioxide release. Since such work started in 2008, Hainan Airlines has saved 251,000 tons of fuel and reduced about 790,000 tons of carbon dioxide release, equal to carbon dioxide absorption of a forest in scale of 30,000 mu all year round.
Simplified business service is highly valued and implemented to shorten check-in time and increase check-in and luggage transportation efficiency, thus endowing passengers with a fast and efficient green flight experience. In 2015, usage rate of self-service check-in was increased from 16% to 80% and passengers queuing time was decreased by 40%, significantly saving manual service cost of Hainan Airlines.
Economic benefits
Hainan Airlines, benefiting from the adopted comprehensive energy management green system, carries out an all-round green action through transforming energy-saving technology, reducing load born by the aircraft from various aspects, using clean energy and applying real-time air route selection, which not only enhanced comfortable experience of passengers, but also achieved fuel saving and consumption reduction as well as lower operating cost. Such measures bring the company with higher benefits and stronger competitiveness. Taken Year 2015 for example, 51,000 tons of fuel were saved, equivalent to saving about CNY 204 million. Since such work started in 2008, Hainan Airlines has made an achievement of saving 251,000 tons of fuel, equal to saving about CNY 1,004 million.
Prospect
Hainan airlines has been positioned ecological civilization, low carbon and energy conservation as an important strategy to promote sustainable development. It will continue to push forward the new programs of “Green Tour” to power the green tour of aviation industry in China.
To improve digital energy management system. Hainan Airlines will develop a new generation energy management system to achieve auto collection, analysis and statistics of all energy data and refined control of energy consumption of the company, in an attempt to further improve operating efficiency and efficiency of energy utilization of the company to international advanced level.
To complete and promote fuel efficiency index evaluation system of air transportation. Hainan Airlines developed fuel efficiency index evaluation system together with Civil Aviation University of China, and has provided theoretical basis for evaluation on energy conservation and emission reduction and method for evaluation on efficiency of energy conservation and emission reduction for the whole China’s civil aviation industry.
To establish green industrial chain and build low-carbon aviation brand. As a critical link to establish Green Industrial Chain, green transportation is recommended as the preferred transportation mode by Hainan Airlines. During the 13^th Five-Year Plan period, Hainan Airlines plans to implement Carbon Credits Program among passengers, and the fund for purchasing carbon credits willingly by passengers will be used for forestation and alike to erase their carbon footprint caused by flight in another way.