Aviation industry reducing its environmental footprint

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Aviation is committed to collaborating to address its environmental impact.

In 2008, it became the first industry to adopt a global, sector-wide climate action goal.

In October 2021, the global aviation industry took its climate commitment one step further by declaring that it will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by accelerated efficiency measures, energy transition and innovation across the aviation sector and in partnership with Governments around the world.

Governments also confirmed their support for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 for aviation by adopting a similar goal during the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in October 2022

Net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is significant as it supports the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, compared to pre-industrial levels. Scientists agree that this would greatly reduce the severity of climate change damage.

Already efficient...but room for improvement

The aviation industry has made significant progress in fuel and CO2 efficiency, halving the amount of fuel used per flight compared to 1990. In other words, your flight today would generate just 50% of the CO2 compared to the same flight back in 1990. This has been achieved through technological advancement and improvements in operations and infrastructure.

Trade and tourism are important drivers of global economic development, and as more people become affluent, their appetite to travel the world increases. The industry's climate action framework is designed to help find the balance between the two goals - economic growth through connectivity, and reduction of climate impact.

Key elements for decarbonisation

Flying net zero will require commitment from across the aviation sector and action in the following areas:

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Technological innovation

Manufacturers have already delivered significant efficiency improvements of around 90% since the first jet engines and will continue investing in improvements to existing aircraft and new models. New technologies (with radical configurations, electric, hydrogen and new forms of propulsion) have the potential to contribute to decarbonisation of the short-haul fleet, but challenges remain for longer applications.

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Sustainable aviation fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has great potential for securing the sustainable growth of air travel as it could reduce CO2 emissions by around 80% compared with fossil fuels, without the need to radically change the fuel supply systems or engines of aircraft. SAF is being increasingly used and is part of a transition away from fossil fuels by mid-century.

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Operational improvements

We're making the current fleet lighter and more efficient and using new air traffic control techniques to save emissions. For example, landing using a continuous descent into an airport saves at least 150kg of CO2 per flight. Adding wingtip devices to an aircraft can reduce fuel use by 4%. Air navigation service providers are working to accelerate efficiency improvements to minimise excess fuel burn in all phases of flight.

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Infrastructure efficiencies

Shortening flying times by a minute saves at least 100kg of CO2 per flight. Reformed air traffic management systems in the United States, Asia and Europe will cut emissions significantly.

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Market-based measures

Economic measures are a part of our strategy until technology and more efficient operations achieve our targets. High-quality carbon offsets will be necessary in the short and medium term to enable aviation to decarbonise. These are set out in the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

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More on aviation and the environment

Reducing noise
Improving air quality
Greener manufacturing
Circular economy
Aviation's impact on the environment
Building resilience to climate change
Aviation supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals

IATA CO2 Connect calculator

IATA has developed an emissions calculator (see below) that enables passengers to easily calculate the CO2 footprint of their flights:

  1. Search for and select the departure and arrival airports
  2. Choose the aircraft type (if unknown, the most common one for the route will be automatically selected)
  3. Press calculate.

Information about the methodology, data used and how the CO2 emissions are calculated is available from IATA.

 

Technological innovation Sustainable aviation fuel Operational improvements Infrastructure efficiencies Market-based measures More on aviation and the environment