Fossil-free by 2050? Norway's Avinor sustainability strategy

Oslo airport. Picture: Nordic, Office of Architecture

During this Christmas period I have had the chance to read a number of reports and white papers that have been published recently about the future of sustainable aviation. One of those that picked my attention is that published by Avinor, the government-owned company that manages the Norwegian airport network, and a very active player in Norway’s quest to decarbonize its commercial aviation industry, currently one of the most ambitious and far-reaching in the world.

I had the chance to speak recently with its sustainability director and get a glimpse of the whole array of green aviation programmes and initiatives that Avinor is active in, so I was eager to learn about the latest development in this area.

When it comes to decarbonization, aviation is, of course, not the only area where Norway is taking the lead

Well, I must say that, if you were looking for some headline-making revelation or groundbreaking piece of information, I must say there isn’t really any…that is, if you have been more or less on top of the Norwegian sustainable aviation agenda (which, I hope, is the case of many of this blog’s readers!).

That said, the report, titled “Aviation in Norway. Sustainability and social benefit”, is great as a document of reference for anyone interested in sustainable aviation, and not just in Norway. It outlines the main figures and scenarios the aviation industry faces and it sketches a road map for Norwegian aviation operators (including other players such as airlines, sustainable aviation fuel producers, etc) to follow in the next three decades (although of course, this may change as technologies change and evolve, in fact this report is currently at its 4th iteration, with previous editions having been published in 2008, 2011 and 2017).

The main stated goal is to make Norwegian commercial aviation entirely fossil-fuel free by 2050.