Filling the Aviation Sustainability Gap

By John Roe

Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics launches e-learning courses for industry professionals

The world’s aviation industry is flying full throttle into a period of sustained turbulence. With each passing day it becomes increasingly undeniable that, as currently powered, structured, managed and staffed, this vital sector is unsustainable, and its future is precarious. Its carbon footprint increasingly draws the ire of environmental activists battling climate change who demand the industry is held accountable for its impacts on the planet. It is impossible to imagine the 21st century without aviation, and almost as difficult to envision a vibrant future for it without change.

At the precise moment when action is needed, experts at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada, are pioneering a promising, ground-breaking initiative: more accessible and comprehensive education for professionals working throughout the sector. Two years of research, analysis and meticulous development at the school’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) have culminated in the creation of three e-learning courses that make up the new International Aviation Sustainability Certification (IASC). Global aviation, industry sustainability and climate change are all covered, with each course fully online, self-paced, interactive, and approximately 20 hours in duration. And while WISA will begin offering the courses to the broader aviation sector this summer, the Institute is already being praised by industry professionals after 200 people have benefitted from its training.

“These courses are the first of their kind in the aviation industry addressing and providing knowledge on the full range of sustainability issues,” Matt Williams, head of London-England-based Starr Consulting Services, explains. “The aviation industry is under huge pressure to adhere to upcoming regulations around sustainability, and as a partner of our clients, we look to assist them in all areas that could impact their risk profiles.” Starr Consulting Services, a branch of the aviation industry’s leading insurer, Starr Insurance, has secured a number of seats for its clients in WISA’s e-learning programs.

Such an endorsement is music to the ears of Dr. Suzanne Kearns, WISA’s founder and the driving force behind the new e-learning programs. A former airplane and helicopter pilot with advanced degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she began her career as an aviation professor when she was 24. In the two decades since, Kearns awakened to a glaring gap in her education that impacts the entire industry.

“Environmental protection and sustainability were not part of the curriculum when I was going through school, which has led to an entire generation of leaders in aviation who are learning about these issues while leading the industry and navigating challenges as they arise,” she says.

“Sustainability is the pathway to our industry’s future,” Kearns says. “But also presents a massive, industry-wide up-skilling challenge. In recent years it has become clear that the biggest threats to the future of air transportation will arise from issues that haven’t traditionally been a primary focus of aviation studies — namely sustainability and climate change.”

On the latter issue, a self-imposed deadline looms. In late 2021, leading international aviation agencies set an ambitious goal for the industry: achieving net zero emissions by 2050. For an industry currently responsible for two to 2.5 per cent of the anthropogenic emissions driving climate change, this is a lofty goal. Achieving net zero means that the greenhouse gases emitted from operations must be offset by removing at least an equivalent amount from the atmosphere, through measures such as reforestation.

But sustainability is about even more than tackling climate change. It’s also about social and economic issues. Global projections of a shortage in almost every aviation job category signal the need for a new approach to training and retention. “We need a robust, sustained, confident and diverse workforce to support the industry,” Kearns says. “Imagine a revolutionary net-zero aircraft was invented; without pilots to fly it or mechanics to maintain its airworthiness, we wouldn’t realize the benefits of the technology. Also, if operating these aircraft is prohibitively expensive, passengers won’t be able to afford tickets. Environmental technologies alone won’t achieve a sustainable future for the industry. Sustainability is about balance–we also need a viable workforce and thriving companies to ensure long-term stability”.

A Trio of Online Courses

Kearns has spent years trying to address these issues, and after earning her PhD in Education and authoring a book on e-Learning in Aviation, the three e-learning courses evolved naturally from her efforts. The Government of Canada also sees value in this work, and through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), has invested $9.2 million in WISA projects, of which $500,000 funded the development of this trio of online courses:

• Fundamentals of International Aviation explores how international aviation works, to benefit not only those who are new to the field but also to career professionals;
• Aviation Sustainability demonstrates that every aviation job is a sustainability job and provides practical strategies for incorporating sustainable practices in daily operations; and
• Aviation and Climate Change examines the impacts of aviation on the environment and discusses both adaptation and mitigation strategies, from carbon offsets to sustainable aviation fuels.

Because the need for sustainability is industry-wide, the online courses are geared for every professional in the sector — from pilots to ground crew and everyone in between. Judging by the praise coming from those who have already taken the courses, they are most assuredly relevant.

Affirming IASC’s Value Proposition

One of these pros is Jeremy Wang, an aerospace engineer and entrepreneur currently serving as chief operating officer of Ribbit, a Toronto-based company he co-founded in 2020. It builds and operates self-flying aircraft to resupply hard-to-reach areas for e-commerce, defence customers, and humanitarian purposes. Because sustainability was never taught in his undergraduate or graduate training in aerospace and mechanical engineering, he wanted to develop a formal framework for thinking about sustainability that would go beyond aircraft design to include all the elements that enable the aviation industry to function.

“These three courses did just that. They offer a quick and systematic overview of essential topics, while covering important nuances such as distinct causes and effects of CO2 versus other types of emissions, the timelines for sustainability goals and the complex stakeholders and governance considerations at play,” he adds.

Similar kudos come from Evan Stamoulis, an Airworthiness Engineer and Deputy Safety Manger with GainJet Aviation, a leading worldwide private-jet charter operator and management company headquartered in Athens, Greece. “My company offered the three courses,” he recalls. “It was GainJet’s strategic decision to embrace sustainability practices and formalize a long-term inclusive sustainability plan. Even though our knowledge about the ‘hot topic’ of sustainability was there, it was dispersed and scattered between people, departments, responsibilities and accountabilities.”

After taking the three courses, Stamoulis says they delivered. “Their structure was consistent and perfectly aligned with each module’s learning objectives. What I enjoyed the most was that the course brought together all the aspects of international aviation related to sustainability in an easy-to-understand manner. I highly recommend it.”

For the final word, consider the thoughts of Pramoth Varsan Madhavan, the first person to finish all three courses and earn the new professional International Aviation Sustainability Certification (IASC). A PhD student, his role in the aviation industry is centered around research and development in the field of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, aimed at helping develop cleaner and more sustainable power sources for aircraft. “The IASC courses are incredibly interactive and engaging, using real-world case studies and dynamic discussions to explore complex concepts and provide diverse perspective, deepening my understanding of aviation sustainability,” Madhavan says.

“Reflecting on my journey, I see how I’ve transformed from a curious student into a confident advocate for sustainable aviation. Earning the IASC not only enriched my knowledge but also revealed new pathways for impactful collaboration and innovation. For anyone still on the fence about diving into aviation sustainability, I say, ‘Go for it!’ The journey might be challenging, but the impact you can make is truly worth it.”

Editor’s note: John Roe is a freelance journalist based in Kitchener, Ontario. More details on WISA courses can be found at wisacourses.uwaterloo.ca