Delta Launches Sustainable Travel Innovation Lab

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Delta Air Lines is launching a new innovation lab to accelerate research, design and testing for more sustainable air travel.

Why it matters: Aviation accounts for about 3% of global carbon emissions.

In the absence of aggressive adoption of climate-friendly technologies, this share is likely to increase along with the projected growth of air travel. The US Department of Transportation recently adopted an “Aviation Climate Action Plan” to address the problem.

Leading the news: Delta says its new Sustainable Skies Lab, announced Thursday at CES in Las Vegas, is unique in the airline industry because it goes beyond financial investments to work collaboratively with tech revolutionaries hoping to test and pitch their ideas.

“Because aviation is a difficult industry to decarbonise, none of us can do it alone,” Pam Fletcher, the airline’s chief sustainability officer, said in a statement. “We are rolling out the welcome mat for preferred disruptors to leverage Delta’s global resources to accelerate our path to decarbonization and a fully sustainable travel experience.” long-term solutions such as increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel and exploring new means of propulsion, such as hydrogen.

What they’re saying: Fletcher, who previously led electric vehicle innovation at General Motors, told Axios he’s optimistic Delta will meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 despite the challenges.

“I think back to EV travel. In the beginning, people thought EVs were underpowered golf carts, didn’t run smoothly, and couldn’t accelerate.” “Look at what happened because people were focused on the solution. I’m optimistic. ”

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