Reference product: transport, freight, aircraft, long haul [metric ton*km]
Location: GLO - Global
The dataset represents the transport of one tonne of freight over a distance of greater than 4000 km in a belly-freight aircraft (an aircraft carrying both passengers and freight). The dataset represents the entire transport life cycle including the production of the aircraft, the transportation of goods, and the construction and operation of the airport. The scope of this dataset is the operation of the aircraft, which has inputs of aircraft and airport facilities (i.e. aircraft production and the construction and operation of the airport are contained in linked datasets).
Fuel consumption and the main emissions (SOx, NOx, NMHC, PM and CO) are calculated for 99.5% of all scheduled flights in 2016, based on OAG (2016) data. Flight distances are calculated as the Great Circle Distance (GCD) using coordinates of the destination airports and corrected using a distance dependent factor (74 km (40 nautical miles) for distances below 926 km and 139 km (75 nautical miles) for distances above). For the 0.044% of the flights for which no coordinates for one of the destinations was available, a flight distance of 1000 km was assumed. Fuel consumption and emissions are based on EMEP/EEA 2016. Linear regression fits were used to approximate fuel consumption and SOx-emissions of all the plane types. For the other emissions, a polynomial of the 3rd degree was used as a fit function. R2 values for fuel consumption and SOx of all plane types are > 0.999. Also for the other emissions, the R2 values are > 0.99 for almost all plane types. Flights are classified according to distance (very short haul < 800 km, short haul between 800 and 1500 km, medium haul between 1500 and 4000 km and long haul > 4000 km). Weighted averages are calculated for each distance class (and for all distances) using the share of each flight to the total transport performance. Passenger transport performance (total pkm) is calculated using the distance of each flight, the typical number of seats for the specific plane type (from ecotransit) used for this flight and an occupancy of 80%. Belly-freight performance is calculated using the distance and the average mass of transported goods per flight (from OAG 2016). Allocation between passenger and freight transport is done by mass for each flight before averaging, with an assumed passenger mass of 105 kg (including luggage) (EASA 2009).
CO2, water vapour and heavy metal emissions are calculated from the fuel consumption and from emission factors derived from fuel composition (Spielmann et al. 2007). Shares of emissions to the lower and upper part of the atmosphere are taken from the shares of the distances covered in the flight phases below and above 7,315m (FL240). A typical climb/descent procedure for an Airbus A320 is used for the calculation (Source: eurocontrol).

Certain emissions (formaldehyde, nitrous oxide, methane, ethylene oxide and hydrogen chloride) have been removed in the updated inventory because no reliable source could be found to model them. Furthermore, benzene and butadiene are no longer inventoried separately but included in the exchange "NMVOC", because accounting for them individually is deemed too inaccurate.
Airport facilities have not been updated are representative of a medium-sized international airport (Zurich). Airport demand per tonne freight transported is calculated using a value of 0.4 million tonnes transported per year (based on Zurich airport (2016), and assumes two airports per delivery and a 100 year life of the airport. Aircraft production is global in scope and described in the individual datasets. Aircraft demand per tonne.km is calculated from the lifetime kms and freight loads of over 40 different aircraft, with the aircraft types weighted according to their tonne kms in 2016 (OAG, 2016). Freight load is calculated from the passenger load (maximum number of seats in the different aircraft types and an assumed occupancy factor of 80%) and that passengers account for 86% of the total load (calculated weighted average from OAG data). Aircraft maintenance is not included, although de-icing of aircraft is included in the airport operations.
References:
Spielmann et al (2007) Transport services. ecoinvent Report No. 14. Villigen
EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2016;
eurocontrol Aircraft Performance Database, https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/aircraftperformance/default.aspx?Gr…, accessed April 2018. EASA (2009) Survey on the standard weights of passengers and baggage: Final Report. European Aviation Safety Agency
OAG (2016) OAG Analytics. OAG
[This dataset has been generated using the system model "Allocation, cut-off by classification". A system model describes how activity datasets are linked to form product systems. The allocation cut-off system model subdivides multi-product activities by allocation, based on a physical properties, economic, mass or other properties. By-products of waste treatment processes are cut-off, as are all by-products classified as recyclable. Markets in this model include all activities in proportion to their current production volume.
Version 3 of the ecoinvent database offers three system models to choose from. For more information, please visit: https://www.ecoinvent.org/database/system-models-in-ecoinvent-3/system-…)]