Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre

Trinity College Dublin, in partnership with Ryanair, EU’s greenest airline, announced the launch of a new Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre in April 2021.

This landmark initiative – the first of its kind in Ireland – has been made possible by a €1.5m donation which Trinity will use to seed a multi-disciplinary research team to engage in research around 1) sustainable aviation fuels, 2) zero carbon aircraft propulsion systems and 3) noise mapping.

This new knowledge will inform the policies of both EU and international governments on making aviation environmentally and economically sustainable, as well as harness future investments by the aviation industry towards sustainability. The project, which will employ six people, commenced in Summer 2021.

Sustainability and low carbon technologies are a key focus of researchers from a range of disciplines at Trinity and this new partnership will sit within Trinity’s E3 – the Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative, which is tackling complex, global problems, such as those faced by the aviation industry.

Researchers at the centre will develop sustainable solutions for an industry striving towards a profitable, carbon-neutral future, with greener offerings for jet-setters and a liveable planet for all.

Ryanair believes that aviation must play a leading role in addressing climate change and is placing an increased emphasis on mitigating how its business impacts the environment.

By 2030, Ryanair’s goal is to power 12.5% of its flights with sustainable aviation fuels. This together with investment in new “Gamechanger” aircraft, will significantly reduce its CO2 and noise footprint over the next decade.

On the 9th of May, 2024, Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, announced the extension to the end of the decade and made a further €2.5 m donation (€4 m total) to fund the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre.

Underpinned by an initial €1.5m donation from Ryanair, Research at the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre started in September 2021 addressing the complex challenge of progressing sustainable aviation.

With Ryanair’s extended funding, the multi-disciplinary research team will continue to focus on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and zero carbon aircraft propulsion systems as well as expanding the scope of the research to examine aviation’s non-CO2 emissions.

Over the past three years, the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre has made significant research developments in the following core areas:

• examining the sustainability of different SAF types
• reducing the cost to certify new SAF candidates
• evaluating the operating impact of zero carbon aircraft propulsion and noise mapping

Results of this research, which have been presented at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, show that the emission intensity of a passenger travelling on a Boeing 737-800 NG flight from Amsterdam to Dublin can be reduced by 43% by using a 50% SAF blend.

This could be further reduced by using Ryanair’s ‘Gamechanger’ Boeing 737-8200, which is 16% more fuel efficient than the 737-800 NG.

Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler, said: 

“Progressing towards our ambitious sustainability goals of Net Zero by 2050 and 12.5% SAF by 2030 will not be possible without continued support for the best-in-class research that is being done by the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin. Expanding out the research to better understand the non-CO2 impacts from aviation is an important next step to lead our industry towards more sustainable aviation.”

Dr Linda Doyle, Provost and President of Trinity, said:

“Research must be central to combating climate change and promoting sustainable transport. Trinity is now recognised as the 14th best university in the world in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and has become a go-to international destination for sustainable aviation research. I want to thank Ryanair for their support: It is good news for the researchers in the Centre and for the students who will benefit from the teaching arising from the research.” 

Professor Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, said:

“Advancing sustainable aviation presents a complex challenge, which requires the multidisciplinary approach we take here in Trinity. Ryanair’s continued support will help to ensure ongoing and new research projects deliver a number of improvements and innovations, as well as supporting interactions with regulators, policy makers and aircraft manufacturers in the pursuit of more economically and environmentally sustainable commercial aviation.”