Environment and sustainability

The overall objective of Swedish airspace management is to create the conditions for all its users to be able to conduct safe, efficient and environmentally sound operations. Flying with minimum environmental impact - lower emissions and reduced noise pollution - is linked to predictable flight operations and environmentally responsible behaviour. Here you can learn about our environmental work.

LFV has a government mandate to work towards sustainable aviation. In cooperation with our partners, we are developing airspace, procedures and system support to improve conditions for reduced environmental impact, in terms of both emissions and noise.

Aviation and the environment is a focus area in the government's national aviation strategy with the ambition to reduce aviation’s environmental and climate impact. The environment is also a priority for LFV and we aim to be the most environmentally efficient air navigation service in Europe. Aviation accounts for about 2-3% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 4-5% of all climate-changing emissions, including nitrogen oxide. The impact of air traffic services on total aviation emissions is estimated to be around 6%.

Managing traffic in the most climate-smart way possible relies on knowing the fuel efficiency of those who fly. LFV trains air traffic controllers to create the best conditions from an environmental perspective.

It is important for LFV's employees to understand aviation's environmental and climate impact to implement active environmental work in everyday life. All new employees receive basic environmental training.

Straighter flight paths mean significant fuel savings and subsequently reduced carbon emissions. LFV is one of nine members of the Borealis Alliance which, among other things, operates Free Route Airspace (FRA), a comprehensive project for straighter flight paths in EU airspace.

We work to reduce the number of people exposed to aircraft noise by directing aircraft to routes adjacent to urban areas wherever possible. Green approaches, which are carried out at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, for example, also reduce noise pollution as the aircraft glides for a large part of the approach.

By introducing a fuel model in our radar analysis tool, LFV improves the Swedish Transport Agency's calculations of aviation emissions in Swedish airspace. LFV will also be able to analyse the fuel effects of changes in airspace and methods. These improvements create value and benefits for everyone.

Airspace and flight paths are designed to be both efficient and optimally sustainable. LFV offers airports support in environmental assessment and analyses, which minimise the environmental impact of noise pollution and emissions. LFV has developed an analytical tool that processes millions of radar tracks and other data from the TopSky air traffic management system to assess the environmental impact of traffic flows, identifying deficiencies that can be improved.

How LFV contributes to the 2030 Agenda.

Within the framework of the government's Fossil-free Sweden initiative, the Swedish aviation industry as a whole, together with representatives from fuel producers and academia, has developed a roadmap for how aviation can contribute to the government's goal of becoming fossil-free by 2045. The roadmap is in Swedish.