Airlines rally aviation community to low carbon emission, drone integration, others

INTERNATIONALAIRLINES have urged the global aviation community to give priority to issues of climate change, drone usage and its integration, among other issues, facing the development of the future of the industry.

Meeting at the 40th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in Montreal, Canada, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) rallied members to the implementation of set agenda on the common challenges.

IATA’S Director-general and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alexandre de Juniac, noted that three years ago, ICAO member states achieved an historic agreement to implement a Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

“The whole aviation industry welcomed this significant commitment as part of the overall approach to meaningfully mitigate the industry’s climate change impact. Today, CORSIA is a reality with airlines tracking their emissions.

“Unfortunately, there is a real risk that CORSIA will be undermined by governments piling on additional carbon pricing instruments. They are branded ’green taxes‘ but we have yet to see any funds allocated to actually reducing carbon. “CORSIA was agreed as the single global economic measure to achieve carbon-neutral growth by generating $40 billion in climate funding and offsetting around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2035. Governments need to focus on making that commitment a success,” de Juniac said.

IATA, in cooperation with Airports Council International (ACI), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA), coordinated by the Air Transport

Action Group (ATAG) submitted a working paper that, among other things, calls on governments to: reaffirm the importance of CORSIA at the ICAO Assembly, participate in CORSIA from the voluntary period before it becomes mandatory in 2027, reaffirm that CORSIA is “the market-based measure applying to CO2 emissions from international aviation”, and stick to the principle that aviation’s international emissions should be accounted for only once, with no duplication.

Also, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, have tremendous potential, including for door-todoor cargo shipments, urban air mobility and delivery of emergency supplies and medicines in remote areas.

However, an absolute pre-requisite is their safe and efficient integration into airspace being used for the transportation of passengers.

“By 2023, drone operations in the US alone could triple according to some estimates. And the general trend is the same worldwide. The challenge is to achieve this potential safely. The safety of civil aviation is the model. Industry and governments must work in partnership on the global standards and innovations needed to safely achieve the tremendous potential of drones,” de Juniac said.