Disclaimer: This text reflects only the opinion of its author and does not in any way commit the official word of the French Air and Space Academy.
By Jean-Claude Ripoll, Honorary Member.
Air transport has taken a significant place in the metabolism of humanity. It is therefore a serious matter to examine what this activity means and to devote an ethical question to it.
What is the substance of Air Transport? Its raison d’être? What is the relation of activity to the goals of humanity?
As with any activity, in response to ethical questioning, these objectives are explained in the form of a morality adopted by the actors of the activity in question. It is now the whole of humanity that is gradually devoting itself to this activity, but it must be noted that there is no single morality, and even that there is uncertainty about the sources of morality.
In fact, despite the existence of numerous committees (advisory, of course), ethical questioning is hardly practiced anymore. Nevertheless, the occurrence of crises (mixtures of dangers and opportunities) gives the opportunity for attempts.
The COVID-19 crisis comes as the fuel crisis is confirmed and the climate crisis is exciting the West. Air transport is directly affected by all three crises. The question becomes existential: should we find a moral reason to make the activity continue in its model and intensity, or should we organize its reduction without contravening a hypothetical planetary morality?
Given the magnitude of these three crises, coherence is essential….