IATA welcomes ICAO progress on a CO2 standard for aircraft

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed an agreement by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) environment committee on a metric to define a CO2 standard for new aircraft.

“This major milestone in developing a CO2 standard for new aircraft demonstrates the commitment of the global community to environmental sustainability and ICAO’s ability to lead progress. Establishing a standard for future generations of aircraft will help to ensure that the environmental benefits of the billions of dollars of airline investments in new aircraft are being maximized,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

The acceptance of a common metric for measuring the emissions of new aircraft paves the way for ICAO formally to adopt a standard for CO2 which will drive continuous improvement in fuel efficiency. The standard is expected to be fully developed by the end of 2013. This is one aspect of a comprehensive approach to managing the 2% of global manmade carbon emissions attributable to aviation.

“The ICAO process is working. Alongside this important progress on a CO2 standard, ICAO is also moving forward with discussions on market-based measures in time for agreement at the 2013 ICAO Assembly. Unfortunately, the insistence by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) on the unilateral and extra-territorial inclusion of international aviation in its emissions trading scheme is putting the success of this process at risk. It is a divisive scheme, forced through at a time when the global community needs to unite and deliver a global solution,” said Tyler.

Aviation is the only global industry to agree tough targets for emissions reductions. In 2009 airlines, airports, manufacturers and air navigation service providers agreed a strategy to achieve a 1.5% fuel efficiency improvement per year to 2020, carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and a 50% cut in net emissions by 2050 (compared to 2005).