This webinar will take place on Tuesday, November 4, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The login link will be sent to registered participants on Tuesday morning.

Air transport is a sector that has long applied the principles of the circular economy on a large scale: seeking to reduce aircraft weight (reducing the quantity of raw materials used), seeking to reduce fuel consumption (reducing the quantity of fossil fuels used), reducing emissions (CO₂, nitrogen oxides, soot, etc.) and noise, in particular by optimising aerodynamics, engines and air traffic, increasing the service life of aircraft structures and various systems (engines, avionics, etc.) through strict overhaul and maintenance programmes, reuse, recycling or various forms of recovery of aircraft components that have reached the end of their service life, etc.

The environmental footprint of an aeroplane is nevertheless higher than that of a bicycle, but these two modes of transport do not meet the same needs. Their social acceptability has evolved. Proportionally speaking, more than 95% of an aeroplane's environmental footprint is due to its operational phase (greenhouse gas emissions linked mainly to the combustion of kerosene, for example), whereas for bicycles, it is the manufacturing phase that is mainly responsible.

What is the lifespan of an aircraft? Why is an aircraft taken out of service? Can an aircraft have a second life? And what happens to it when it reaches the end of its life? This presentation will examine these issues and discuss current approaches to reducing the environmental footprint of the phases preceding and following the operational phase of these aircraft.